found this book under the bed, half finished from last year. tip: don't read it right before bed. it had me awake thinking long after samantha was asleep, which is rare! really, really good book.
some updates on Colton:
"Update on Colton from his mother:

Talked to Colton again (thursday) night and he is so, so anxious to see us. He was feeling a little more pain, but this morning they did a quick surgery to clean up his wounds and the Dr. said that after the initial discomfort from the cleaning subsides, he should feel less pain and have less swelling. He had to get a breathing tube again for the surgery, so we may not get to talk to him again until we see him. He's doing well and if he continues to do well, it looks like he'll be headed to the US on Sunday!!! Most likely to Bethesda - I guess Walter Reed is now part of the Naval hospital there. Still pretty sketchy on our travel details; happily, Scott and I and all of Colton's siblings and little Leila will be going out together. I'm so excited!!! He wanted me to thank everyone again and let everyone know he is fine."
"Just a quick update on Colton from his mom:
- He is doing so very well, his throat is much better now that he's been without a breathing tube for awhile. We had a wonderful, wonderful conversation, I'll just share a couple of things. First, his buddies were just amazing how they took care of him so well. You can only imagine the love and gratitude that we feel for all of them. Second, he told me that the moment the explosion went off, he made the decision to do this well and to make it as easy on everyone as possible. And he certainly already has. He'll be flying to Maryland in the morning, so I've got some bags to pack! Love to you all and many, many thanks again."

Unearthed two half read books while tidying up the room today... *victory flail* haha. So they go on my summer reading list:
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
It's growing! ;)

"A certain psychological approach which seems to have gained tremendous popularity among Christians reminds me of the jungle rivers that I used occasionally to travel by canoe. They meandered. It was possible to get where you wanted to go by following the tortuous curves and loops, some of them doubling back almost on themselves. It was also possible to get there on foot by cutting straight through a curve, covering in ten minutes what it would take hours to cover by canoe. 

To search out and sort out and "hang out" all the whys and wherefores of what we call our problems (a few of which just might be plain sins) may be one route to the healing of certain kinds of human difficulties, but I suggest that it may be the longest way home. I say this, I know, at the risk of being labeled simplistic, reductionist, obscurantist.

Psychology describes. The Bible prescribes..... "Help one another to carry these heavy loads, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). "Let your bearing toward one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus....He made Himself nothing...humbled Himself...accepted death" (Philippians 2:5,7) The woman who had hurt me had plenty of heavy burdens to bear. I knew that very well. How could I help her to bear them? Well, for one thing, by "being offended without taking offense," that is, by following my Master. 

What a relief! I no longer had to plot and plan and cogitate about how to handle my feelings or how to confront my friend or just what to say. My bearing toward her would arise out of my life in Christ Jesus.I couldn't do it myself. He could, and He would enable me. To cut the straight path a good deal of the jungle of my selfishness had to be slashed through. But it was a much shorter way home. " 

-Elisabeth Elliot, Trusting God in a Twisted World

Sooo, I'm totally done with City of God. nbd. ;) THAT'S 860+ PAGES, DUDES. And I read every word. BUT. I'm also done with GB for the summer.... :D Which means, not that I will stop reading, but that I can do more pleasure reading :) So, I thought I'd give you my preliminary list. Feel free to drop some suggestions to add to it in the comments. 

1) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. I found this in our bookshelf the other day and my interest was piqued. It looks fabulous and fun :)
2) Surprised by Hope. Recommended by Mr. C in our last class. I can't remember exactly what he said it was about, but I remember that I was very interested in checking it out.
3) Gonna finish Confessions. We only read up to Book 10 in class. 
4) Maaaaybe someday I'll finally read Inkspell...since Inkheart is one of my all time favorites. 
5) Trusting God in a Twisted World by Elisabeth Eliot. I've started this but haven't had much chance to continue. It's been really good so far though. 

Annd, some book completeds:
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Very Wodehouse-ish. But modern. And Scottish. 
And...I can't remember finishing anything else recently. Except for City of God. Which..was good. But hard, and long. I would not have gleaned much from it had I not taken the class. Still, Augustine rocks. And there was a lot of good stuff in there. 


-shainabo

Great Books Paper III

Great Books Paper 3-Eusebius

The story of the Christian Martyrs, as related by Eusebius in 'The Church History'.

The Christian Martyrs played an enormous role in the history of the early church. As Christianity spread in the early years, the persecutions became more or less prevalent, largely depending on the emperor at the time. Eusebius focused on recording persecutions that took place during the second and third centuries A.D.


The Christians that were martyred were brave and triumphant during torture and their own deaths. They had a tremendous peace that was given to them by God. Blandina is a tremendous example of steadfastness and bravery, withstanding the gravest tortures. "Through Blandina, Christ proved that what men think lowly God deems worthy of great glory. When we were all afraid...Blandina was filled with such power that those who tortured her from morning to night grew exhausted and admitted that they were beaten, for they had nothing left to do to her. They were astounded that she was still alive, since her whole body was smashed and lacerated, and they claimed that any one of the tortures was enough to end life...But [Blandina] gained in strength while confessing the faith and found comfort for her sufferings by saying, 'I am a Christian, and nothing wicked happens among us.'" When Blandina was later killed in the stadium, after being whipped, exposed to wild beasts, burnt with a gridiron, and placed in a net to be thrown to a bull, "the heathens admitted that never before had a woman suffered so much so long."


Polycarp also provides a wonderful example of strength during martyrdom. At the old age of at least 86, he was arrested and put into the stadium to be forced to denounce Christ. As he entered, he and some other Christians heard a voice from heaven saying, "Be strong and play the man, Polycarp!" When Polycarp had come into the stadium, the proconsul "tried to dissuade him, saying, 'Respect your age! Swear by Caesars fortune! Recant and say, 'Away with the atheists!'' But Polycarp swept his hand across the crowd, sighed, and cried, 'Away with the atheists!' But the governor pressed him, saying, 'Take the oath and I will set you free. Curse Christ!' but Polycarp replied, 'For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?' "


We can also see in these two examples that the martyrs were focusing on Christ in their last moments, drawing on Him for strength and making sure that He never left their minds, allowing them to fall into denying Him. But just as importantly, they were fixing their minds on the resurrection to come. As Polycarp was placed on the pyre to be burnt, he prayed this prayer: "Oh Father of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we know you, I bless you for this day and hour, that I may, with the martyrs, share in the cup of Christ for the resurrection to eternal life of both soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit... I praise you for everything, I bless and glorify You through the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom be glory to You and the Holy Spirit, both now and in the ages to come. Amen." The Christian martyrs were so focused on the bodily resurrection that during the persecution in Gaul around 177, the persecutors exposed and insulted the dead martyrs' bodies, then burning them until they became nothing but ash and finally swept into the Rhone, so as to defeat the Christian's hope in the resurrection.


Eusebius quite naturally thought highly of the martyrs. He often wrote about the martyrs finding their 'glorious fulfillment,' in their martyrdom, or 'his glorious death,' indicating that this is something that every Christian can be proud to endure for Christ. He also looked favorably upon them because they were the representatives of the church, the Billy Grahams of their own era. Because of the Christians' everlasting hope in the resurrection and their devotion to a man who had been crucified two hundred years ago, they were instrumental in spreading the gospel through their examples of courage and steadfastness. Even today, their influence remains to those who read Eusebius's work, inspiring us to be like them if the need would ever arise.

[baby island]

I found this book somewhere...I'm not sure where, and nabbed it to read to my little ones when I have them. I don't know about you, but a well done kids book just makes my day. It's one of my favorite things. I haven't read this one all the way through; it's a chapter book in the style of The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, but a bit shorter. I do want to read it sometime when I have the time, though. The illustrations are darling, a bit reminiscent of Indian Captive (one of my favorites growing up-by Lois Lenski) and it looks like a really fun book for 7-12 year old kids. I have a few pictures of some of the illustrations, and a couple shots of some cute parts in the book. Enjoy!

Yes. I want to write a book like this someday.

"Be endlessly patient. There is nothing more impertinent than our crass infidelity in God. If He does not make us plowers and sowers and reapers all at once we lose faith in Him. Modern evangelism makes the mistake of thinking that a worker must plow his field, sow the seed, and reap the harvest in half an hour.....We are never the same after listening to the truth; we may forget it, but we will meet it again."

-Owsald Chambers

I love this. And it can be applied just as well to other areas of our lives than evangelism. We are always waiting on God. We cannot see how what we are doing now is paving the way to our future, but God holds it in His gentle hands, taking care of every detail.

[quote!]

"What day is it?" 

"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.
- A.A Milne

I have to say, I've absolutely loved this year, with all my heart. But Confessions took first place as my favorite book we've read. Augustine's words spoke to my heart in a way that not many other books have. It was amazing to me how something written 1700 years ago could be so relevant to what I'm thinking and feeling. It was such an encouraging, challenging, and stimulating read. Probably any of you reading this pretty much know that because I was always posting quotes from the book as I read it. I would encourage any of you to read it: it's a pretty short book, and easy to read. (It was an easy two weeks in GB) In many places it reads similarly to a devotional; in others it's more autobiographical; in every part interesting and thought provoking. Augustine had such a questioning, open heart, he feels like an old friend.

[quote]

Yes, I'm doing a lot of quotes these days. :D I just know you love it.

“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” 

-Augustine

[quote]

"O Lord, you are eternal but You will not always be indignant with us*, because You take pity on our dust and ashes. You saw me and it pleased You to transform all that was misshapen in me. Your goad was thrusting at my heart, giving me no peace until the eye of my soul could discern You without mistake. Under the secret touch of Your healing hand my swelling pride subsided, and day by day the pain I suffered brought me health, like an ointment which stung but cleared the confusion and darkness from the eye of my mind." 

St. Augustine, Confessions

*Psalm 85:5

This passage makes me want to cry. This is such a beautiful book.

[duuude]

Augustine was awesome. If I had had a pen handy at all times while reading Confessions, it would probably win 'most underlined Great Book' of all time.. it may yet, haha :) 

"The good things which you love are all from God, but they are good and sweet only as long as they are used to do His will. They will rightly turn bitter if God is spurned and the things that come from Him are wrongly loved."

"[Jesus] did not linger on His way but ran, calling us to return to him, calling us by His words and deeds, by His life and death, by His descent into hell and His ascension into heaven. He departed from our sight, so that we should turn to our hearts and find Him there."

"Man is a great mystery, Lord. You even keep count of the hairs on his head and not one of them escapes Your reckoning. Yet his hairs are more easily counted than his feelings and the emotions of his heart."

"Do my questions provoke You to smile at me and bid me simply to acknowledge You and praise You for what I do know?......For it is better to find You and leave the question unanswered than to find the answer without finding You."

"Two pagan philosophers came to see him, [Antony] thinking they could outwit him. When he saw them, he understood from their appearance that they were pagan and going out to them he began to speak through an interpreter in the following way: why did these wise men want to put themselves to the trouble of such a long journey to visit a stupid man? When they said that he was not stupid but rather exceedingly wise, he replied pointedly, '.....if you think I am wise and that I possess wisdom, it would be a good idea for you to imitate what you approve of, for it is right to imitate good things. If I had come to you, I would imitate you, but since you have come to me in the belief that I am wise, you should be Christian like me.'" 
Athanasius, The Life of St Antony

[2/52]

2/52
1.13.11

"The tabernacle, in ancient times, was a mysterious representation of certain eternal concepts that Israel was not yet equipped to understand. The priests were the stewards of those mysteries. Likewise, the husband as priest in his home is charged with the guarding of mysteries. It's his business to remember what marriage represents-the heavenly union of Christ and His Bride-and to pay attention to the everyday means of living this out with the woman God gave him.
Often the attempt will seem so laughable, such a travesty, so ludicrously unlike what it stands for, that both will wonder how God could possibly have laid such a solemn task at their door. If the toast is burning, the phone ringing, the baby pouring milk down the mother's back, and the husband frantically trying to find his briefcase in time to make the car pool, he will not at the moment feel much like a "trustee of the mysteries." But he is one nevertheless. "No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God," the writer to the Hebrews says.
You wouldn't choose it for yourself, but if you remember that you're called by God to the work, and if you witness to that calling in the home you establish, it will be a saving, even a life-transfiguring, reality."
-Elizabeth Elliot.
This is from the book I posted about a week or so ago, called "Taking Flight." I highly recommend it.
I finished The Chronicles of Amber a couple days ago and it's a good thing too!! I seriously could not put it down, especially at the end. It's a great series of books, very complex and interesting. Easy to read, but well written. Now I'm "only" reading TWO books outside of school/devotions. Ha. Both of which are worthy of being read. :D I'll post about them later on.

-Shaina

[what i've been reading/watching]

                                             Reading:

-Taking Flight by Elisabeth Elliot. Got it from our home church host in a box of books. Read the first entry and decided to add it to my daily devotions. Read the second and decided to write a blog post about it. It's comprised of short words of wisdom from Mrs. Elliot, put together for graduates. I've only read the first two entries but it's very good so far.  
-The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. A fantasy series. My dad read them when he was my age and then my brother recently started reading them. I started the first book and really enjoyed it. It's very much un-cliched, though many of the fantasy books can be. 
-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I figured I should find out what all the fuss was about. I liked it ok, but I'm not caught up in the rage over it. I will say that it was very suspenseful, haha and hard to put down. I'll probably read the next ones if I have nothing else on my list. And I might watch the movie after it comes out on dvd. We shall see :) 


                                           Watching:
-North and South. Grandma snagged this and watched it with Papa John. While working on the project, I watched it and she rewatched it, haha. It was quite good, not a favorite of mine but I did enjoy it. I think I'd probably enjoy watching it a second time, as I know the characters better now. It starts out a little slow, but Mr. Thornton's accent is wonderful. :) Oh yes, and Esther from Bleak House has a small part in it! I love her so much, her character (and her portrayal of that character)  in Bleak House is one of my favorites ever.
-Horatio Hornblower. I must confess, I'm a huge fan of the British Miniseries. And this one particularly. Rewatching this (also while working on the project.... YES there will be a post about it soon) I noticed how young Horatio was when he started out! Also Horatio is brilliant, but like many of them, would be terrible to be married to. He was married to his ship. He is still a tremendously loveable character, not to mention Archie, Mr. Bush, and many others. I really really love this series, and I highly recommend it. Though definitely not  a chick flick, I still enjoy it immensely. Normally I don't like war movies, but this one has more to do with the people than the fighting, so I really enjoyed it.
-Sherlock. Also rewatched this series recently... It's great. The cinematography is wonderful, and the writers did a tremendous job with it. I normally am quite a purist, but they definitely made the modern day setting work. I can't wait for the next season of it! Also, the actor that plays Watson is playing Bilbo in The Hobbit, and that gives me great hope for the movie. I think he'll be perfect for it. 




                                     Also on my list:
-The Bourne Identity. Snagged this one from our host as well. I've watched the movies, and enjoyed it but am not a huge fan. But I hear that the books are very very different? Maybe I'll enjoy it. Dad said the first book is the only one worth reading. 
-Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. I've read this before. But it was before GB and I have a feeling it will mean more to me now. It's definitely intriguing. 
-The New Jane Eyre movie :) Sam and I are gonna watch it tonight. I love the actor that plays St. John, so I'm excited. Well, and I love the story. But from the trailer I've seen it almost looks like a carbon copy of the 2006 version (my favorite so far)

[book completed]

I finished Hannah Whitall Smith's book, "The Unselfishness of God" this morning. It was really, really good. I would definitely recommend it. At the very end of the book she says, "It is a great comfort to me, to have found out that God can manage His own universe Himself, and that He can do it even without my help." Indeed.
One thing that I found extremely interesting was that the Quakers are all about the 'inner light' and your feelings. She broke out of this by realizing that feelings are about the most changeable and fickle things there are, and it's very unwise to rely on them. She says here, "It was no longer "How do I feel?" but "What does God say?" And He said such delightful things, that to find them out became my supreme delight. I do not mean what He said to me personally in my heart, but what He had said to every human being in the Bible--the good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ."
She also talks about learning to rely solely on Christ for victory over sin, instead of struggling vainly against it herself. "When I call a builder to build me a house, I do so because he knows how to build, and is able to accomplish it, while I neither know how or am able. But I do not consider the fact of my putting the work in his hands an attainment on my part, but only a common sense arrangement. If I am puzzled how to cross a roaring river and discover a bridge, I do not call my action in crossing that bridge an attainment, but simply and only a common sense proceeding.
Consequently it always seems to me much nearer the truth to use the word gifts rather than the word attainments. Attainments imply work and effort on our part, and Christian graces are all a free gift from God."

So. Go read it for yourself. I'm now pretty interested in reading her other, more famous book, "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life."

-Shaina-

[one ninety nine] [!]

[one ninety nine]
4.5.11

 Today... we cleaned a lot. I went to my neighbors and she loaned me a tripod and a remote! So cool. And besides that we get to go to the Breanna and Lyss's this weekend =D Then we also burned today. Pictures below.

Shaina

I LIKE barb wire fence. Deal with it. ;)

[one sixty five]

An outtake from the day of Sami levitating :)

 So.. Samantha and I watched the new Alice In Wonderland tonight. I really liked it, actually. I haven't seen any of the other productions of it, or read the book, but it was superb acting and I really enjoyed the story line. Of course Johnny Depp is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. *hehe* Anyway, I would recommend it highly, although I would caution if you have younger children, as there are some scary/gory parts.

Book finished: "When God Writes Your Love Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy. ABOVE highly recommended. It's amazing. Very good for those who are older and still single, or for the younger generation to get a head start! Basically it's about giving God the pen for your love story. AND it uses illustrations from The Odyssey... which makes it ten times better. So it's a no brainer =) Off to bed.. it's been a long day :)

~Shaina

[one sixty five]
3.1.11

[seventy seven] Speaking of drawing... :) Samantha and I did a little this morning and last night. I drew Astrid and Hiccup from "How to Train Your Dragon." It was SO much fun! And it went well, so I was happy when I finished. I really couldn't care too much less now, however. All of you Scholites, in the spirit of Thanksgiving should be very thankful today that we're only virtual friends. Because since I love to share so much,* if we knew each other in person,  you would be getting a share of my sickness! *collapses on bed* I've actually been sleeping most of the day.

*Very Short Story* The Dethroning of Hulk.

I walk into my bathroom to wet my hair down for the night; it's a little dirty, but not bad, definitely not the worst it's ever been. My eyes peruse the shower curtain and bathrug, both decorated with large, pink and orange flowers. Sitting quietly on the sink is a petite container of flower-scented soap. So far, so good. But wait! What travesty is this hanging very obtrusively on the back of the door? I cannot believe my eyes. A HULK bath towel?!?! Stunned, I slowly regain my composure. My path is clear. The monstrosity must be banished after a fair trial. He has no defense, and we don't have lawyers out here in the sticks. Properly shamed, he makes his way to "Australia," the boy's bathroom. A very proper place for a criminal such as he! Assured of a job well done, I return to the bathroom where the queen of towels is being crowned after being found in the dungeon. It can now be said that "all's well."

Book completed: The Salmon of Doubt, by Douglas Adams. I know one of you Scholites had read some of his stuff or listened to the radio program, I just can't remember who. Anyway, this is a compilation of little articles and stuff he wrote. Funny as always. Although, when I say 'completed,' I'm cheating a bit, as I didn't read cover to cover. Some of his stuff I just skip over, like when he's talking on and on about why he's an atheist or something. Over all it was very good, though.
Wishing I had one of these,
 
Shaina