On the Singing of Hymns

• Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can.
• Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength.
• Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony.
• Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it...and take care not to sing too slow.
• Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature....attend strictly to the sense of what you sing and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually.

~ John Wesley

Serenity

Saw this on something I got in the mail yesterday and loved it. Serenity. What is it?

Selfless acceptance of all that God plans,

Each day submissive to His guiding hand,

Reaching ahead to the things of real worth,

Ever forsaking the things of this earth,

Nothing disturbing the soul's deep repose,

Intent on rising above earthly woes,

Trusting the future to God's sovereign will,

Yielded, surrendered, His purpose to fill.

a few more...

A few more pics from our day of fun. :)

{ ^ stupid lady ^ lol}

with Laura

Yesterday I got to spend some time with one of my best friends, Laura, who is home on spring break. :) 

Love this girl. :)

Chicago with friends!

Yesterday Charlotte and I had the pleasure of going downtown once again to observe a CSO open rehearsal. We rode downtown on the train with our friends, the Bradstreets. We had a TOTAL blast. :)

This picture is blurry because it was taken very swiftly. :) (Photography is illegal inside the hall, but with all the aggravating policing going on, we couldn't help but get a shot or two! :P)

Blessed lunchtime. At Panda Express. Need I say more? 

At the Bean. :)

Just off the train and ready to head home.

It was SUCH a fun day, regardless of the frigid temps. Thanks, Bradstreets, for taking us and capturing pictures of the fun! :)

St. Patrick's Day!

Judge me if you must, but I am a huge fan of St. Patrick's Day. I am one quarter Irish, and except for my ONE green t-shirt and the red streak in my hair, you probably wouldn't be able to tell. My family has always celebrated by eating corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, rye bread, and usually drinking Green River. We also always wear our green shirts. Today was no different. :)

I lamented the fact that I had no green church clothes, not even jewelry, so I had to go to church in an almost-entirely greenless outfit. But as soon as I got home, on went my green "Lucky Dog" Snoopy shirt. We had the traditional lunch with my family. Dessert was homemade Portillo's chocolate cake, with shamrocks iced on by my artsy Christopher husband. 

Then we were off to the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Plainfield. It was COLD, but it was a pretty cool parade. Longest one I've been to, for sure. There were three bagpipe choirs! LOVED it! :) I also got the green beads I wanted. 

The end. :)

Why yes. I DO have the cutest husband ever!!

You're Invited!

Hey folks! I know it's late notice, but for those of you in the area looking for something to do on Friday night, here's something cool! The symphony I am a member of, the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, is performing a fundraiser concert Friday night, March 8th, at 7:30 PM in the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall of the NIU Music Building. The concert is entitled "KSO GOES TO THE MOVIES," and we will be playing 20+ pieces from well-known TV commercials and films including: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Pink Panther, Les Miserables, Mission: Impossible and MANY others! Tickets are $15 a person and will be sold at the door prior to the concert. It's going to be a lot of fun - hope to see you there! ;)

What Did You Expect?

If you get the chance, take some time and check out these DVDs of live sessions on marriage by Paul David Tripp. They are supplemental material to his book of the same title. Chris and I have been watching some of them together, and we've really enjoyed and benefited from them. Many of the principles he discusses are foundational and apply to many areas of life, whether you are married or single, so I recommend it to everyone, married or not.