A Psalm in 1 Chronicles?

I just discovered that once you get through all the lists of names in 1 Chronicles, and make it to chapter 16, you come across a beautiful psalm. Here's a section of it. I was especially inspired by the part that says, "Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!" This is good for me to hear because I'm usually too independent and preoccupied with myself. Sometimes I think the real reason I started this blog was so I could talk about myself whenever I wanted to! Anyway, this verse was a good reminder that I should seek the LORD's strength and his presence.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.

Two Posts in One Day to Make Up For Last Week

I got this survey from Lindsay’s blog, and they looked like fun questions…most of them anyway.

1. Name: Real name-Kate, common name-Katie
2. Height: 5’5”
3. Weight: WOW, THIS THING IS PERSONAL!! WHAT DOES IT THINK IT IS, AN INSURANCE APPLICATION??!!!! Oh ok, why not? 112 pounds
4. Hair color: Dark brown
5. Eye color: Dark brown
6. Shoe size: 7
7. Favorite dinner: Tex-Mex food
8. Favorite drink: Chai
9. Favorite soda: Sprite
10. Favorite candy: Swiss chocolate, but Almond Snickers are a close second
11. Favorite dessert: Ice cream
12. Favorite TV show: I don’t watch TV.
13. Favorite music: Celtic
14. Ever been on a date: Yes……once……and no, I’m not telling you who, what, when, where, why, or how. And no, I don’t know how I got to be twenty-four and have only been on one date. And no, it doesn’t bother me that much. Are those all your questions now? Ok, good. Moving on:
15. Ever been to Disney World: Yes, when I was quite young. About the only thing I remember is the “It’s a Small World” boat ride.
16. Ever ridden a rollercoaster: Yes, I went to Astro World, rode five roller coasters in a row, ate lunch, rode the giant swings, then threw up in a bush.
17. Favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings, Batman Begins, Pride and Prejudice (the NEW one), You Can’t Take it With You, The More the Merrier, The Sound of Music, Chronicles of Narnia
18. Favorite clothes: Long, flowing skirts and cargo pants—I dare you to figure that one out. I guess I can’t decide if I want to be a lady or a tomboy.
19. Favorite store: The internet….in fact, I’ve recently joined the ranks of those who have their credit card numbers memorized. (Please don't come find me and torture me until I tell you what it is...the credit limit isn't that high.)
20. Favorite clothing store: Chadwicks (great website)….although I enjoy shopping at thrift shops too. It’s like a treasure hunt—you have to dig through a ton of junk, but you may find a gem you spent almost nothing for. (oops, sentence ending with preposition)
21. Favorite restaurant: Sorry, I can’t pick.
22. Favorite vacation spot: The Rocky Mountains
23. Dream vacation spots: I’d love to take tour of Europe.
24. People that I talk to most: My family and my co-workers (this is a very lame question, I think)
25. Embarrassing moments: Please see #16. All other embarrassing moments are classified. In other words, I’m trying to forget them.
26. Worst baby photos: Crying in the bathtub.
27. Best photos: The good baby pictures. One of them is so good it’s enlarged, framed, and hanging on our living room wall!!! Please excuse the tooting of my own horn, but I’m not really responsible for the fact that I was adorable, happy, and photogenic when I was six months old, right?
28. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?: I could write several paragraphs here, but the short version is that I think it’s best to live wherever you can be close to the people you care about the most…as long as you have the means to visit the mountains once a year or so. :-)
29. I can't wait to: Finish answering all these hard questions.
30. Rare but true facts: In case you haven’t figured it out yet, my real name is Kate, I’ve only been on one date, I threw up in a bush at Astro World, and I have my credit card number memorized.

Whew!! I think I need a nap now.

Cordless Jump Rope (don't laugh-this is serious)

Just when you thought everything had been invented already....

The Way Is Shut

If it's not one thing it's another. I went to folk dancing Friday night and found myself locked out! I was a little late, so there were lots of people inside already. I could hear the music, and there was no way they were going to hear me pounding on the door, since they were on the second floor. Imagine my feelings of despair and rejection. I heard the happy people dancing to joyous music and I longed to join them, but I found myself alone in a desolate street. Okay, not really, but hmmmmm, that might make a good first line for a novel.......

Then other people came, we threw a roll of tape at the window, someone eventually came down and let us in, and we all had a wonderful time. The end.

The Right Tools

My father has always been a strong believer in the importance of having the right tools for the right job. I was reminded of this on Saturday, when I was taking apart the piano bench so my mother could re-cover it.

First, I used the cordless power drill to take out the eight screws holding the legs on. I love power tools, and this part was fast and painless.
I then encountered a bajillion staples holding the cover on. Isn't this what you use to take out staples?
Apparently not industrial staples blasted into particle board. It didn't work at all. Papa said maybe this type of staple remover would work better.
It definitely did, but it still wasn't really strong enough to pull the staples out all the way. That's where the screwdriver came in.
Unfortunately, the screwdriver wasn't wide enough to pull out more than one side of the staple. Plus, it was ratcheted and kept turning on me. So, Papa brought me a wider, non-ratched screwdriver.
Next, I needed pliers for pulling out the halfway-still-stuck staples all over the place from my previous attempts.
Then, he saw me putting the successfully-removed staples in a little pile on the floor, so he brought a nice yellow cup to put them in. Ours didn't have a smiley face, though.
The staples were finally all out, but then the foam was glued to the board and left behind all kinds of fuzz and lumps. I was picking it off with my fingers when Papa walked up with a fantasic putty knife.
That should be the end of the story, but this project also included the gouging of two of my right hand knuckles when my hand slipped and hit a row of partly-out staples. This required the use of two band-aids. But you don't need a picture of those, do you?

A Few of My Favorites

Chronicle of Narnia book: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Lord of the Rings Song: May It Be
Hamburger Topping: tomatoes
Pizza: onions, green peppers, and black olives
Candy Bar: almond Snickers
Water brand: Deja Blue
Magazine: Mental Floss
Flower: pansy
Artist: Norman Rockwell
Subway sandwich: roast beef, chipotle southwest sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers
Chinese food: fortune cookies
Car trip activity: sleeping

The Da Vinci Code Opens Today

This much anticipated and dreaded movie opens nationwide today, and it's been interesting to me to observe the different sorts of responses by Christians. Some say we should go see it as a way of creating an opportunity to share the truth about Jesus with those who are lost and confused. Others say something like, "boycott the heresy!!" I agree with an article I read yesterday that said buying a ticket to the movie is like casting a vote saying, "Yes, Hollywood, make more movies like this." On the other hand, it can still be an opportunity to share the truth, even if you haven't seen the movie. It comes back to the important balance we must acheive to be both innocent and relevant. That's the way to be most effective in our culture.

Please join me in praying that the movie will not cause a "reverse revival" as many fear, and that Christians will stand strong in the face of opposition.

Here's to unshakeable faith!