With
the weather warming up and Central Texas in full bloom, my inner
outdoorsy girl has begun to emerge once again, and I am enjoying
spending some portion of most evenings sitting outside just chillaxin’.
My much-deserved chill time was recently interrupted, however, by the
unbearable nuisance of little mosquitoes and gnats. Not one to be
easily removed from my favorite chill spot, I quickly engaged in a
little online research on homemade insect repellents. There were plenty
of opinions to glean from, so I went with my typical approach – go with
my gut and what I think will work for me (and what I happen to have on
hand).
I quickly mixed up a little potion of distilled water and about 20-25
drops each of lavender and tea tree essential oils in a 3 oz plastic
bottle. I shook it up, rubbed it on my arms, legs and neck, and boldly
marched back outside and resumed my rightful place in my favorite camp
chair.
Lo and behold, the magic potion worked its wonders, and I was not
bothered by a single winged critter. I actually watched them get very
close to me but back off before they could land on me. It turns out they
don’t like the smell of the lavender, and the tea tree oil must have a
similar effect on them. ‘Tis true!
No more sticky, stinky chemical-based bug spray for me! My sweet
little blend of happiness in a bottle will do me just fine, thank you
very much! Next time I will use a small spray bottle to simplify the
application process.
What kinds of homemade remedies do you enjoy making?
A friend posted a video this evening on Facebook. It is a YouTube video of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, along with over 650 other singers from 28 participating organizations, descended on a Macy's store in Center City Philadelphia. Their purpose was to surprise the unsuspecting shoppers with a Random Act of Culture. The event took place just a few days ago, on October 30, 2010.
Scattered throughout the unwitting crowd were randomly placed individuals who, when given their cue, burst into a full rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. As I watched and listened to this mass choir sing one of the greatest and most inspired choral pieces of all time, something began to emerge in my spirit - a realization of what I was witnessing as being a picture of what the Church is to be in world.
This was a secular group on a secular mission, but what transpired was a public declaration of who Jesus is and His ultimate dominion over the kingdoms of this world - His eternal reign as King of Kings.
Here is what I saw:
1. Hundreds of individuals from dozens of organzations coming together for a common purpose.
2. A multi-generational, multi-cultural ensemble of voices singing the praises of our Eternal King.
3. These individuals are not all dressed alike and standing together as a group, thus separating themselves from those they are singing for. They are dressed like everyone else, scattered throughout the crowd. Until they started singing, they appeared to be just shoppers.
4. Each individual sings his/her part from wherever they are standing, with faces upturned and eyes fixed on the conductor, who is standing on an upper level.
5. When the shoppers realize what is happening, they stop what they are doing and engage in the process. They smile. They laugh. They break out cameras and video cameras and phones to capture the moment. They sing along. They sway to the music. You will even see one woman with a camera in hand and the other hand lifted in worship as she was unable to stand still.
How profound a challenge this is to the Body of Christ - to unite under one banner and take the message of Jesus to the public forum in a bold and beautiful display of a multi-generational, multi-cultured declaration of who Jesus is! I promise you - when the Church begins to take this kind of a unified approach to getting the message of Jesus into the marketplace, the schools, the businesses and other public arenas, the world WILL SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE!
George Frideric Handel was a child prodigy who began composing operas at a very young age. By the time he was in his twenties, he was the best paid composer in the world. Over time, however, as his music came to be regarded as old-fashioned, and he was unable to sell anything. He endured bankruptcy, depression, a stroke and a palsy that crippled his fingers.
In August 1741, Handel began to compose the music for a libretto given to him by a friend, a collection of works about the life of Christ. Inspired by the words, "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people" from Isaiah 40, Handel had agreed to the project. Less than a month later, the entire work of The Messiah was complete.
The lyrics to the Hallelujah Chorus are few, but their message is profound:
The fact that this masterpiece was written by a man whose career was essentially over in the eyes of the world around him is a message for another time. God can and will use the most unlikely among us to accomplish His purposes. He always has and He always will. It's what He does best.
So here, for your watching and listening enjoyment, is the Opera Company of Philadelphia and over 650 of their friends, singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in a Macy's store. May we, the Church, receive inspiration from this to unite under the watchdul eye and graceful movements of our Conductor as we unite together to bring the music from the heart of heaven itself outside the walls of the church and into the streets.
Selah.
(Be sure to pause the music player on the left side of this page before starting the video.)
In the summer of 2002, my husband and I moved from Austin, Texas to Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was a job transfer that brought us here, but it was the Lord who led us here.
One of the first things we did was to begin searching for a church home. David had picked up a welcome packet from the Chamber of Commerce, and inside was a list of area churches. We sat down one afternoon and began looking it over. Having met while serving at an outdoor church for the homeless in Austin, we both hoped to find a local body of believers with a strong emphasis on outreach - a city vision.
As my eyes scanned down the usual choices, there was one name that captured my attention - City Christian Fellowship. Nice and simple, not fluffy or flashy. That Sunday, we walked into what immediately became home for us. We've been there ever since.
Our pastor has for many years been a worship leader/psalmist, and his latest recording, The Ancient Path, is a meditative worship album with Psalm 23 as its theme. It's something I would like to share with you now.
Rather than rant on about how much I love this album and how I think everyone should have it, I will instead refer you to The Ancient Path's website, where you can read about the story behind the project, download your free copy of the entire album (and the accompanying book), and learn more about the missions work in Belize that receives 100% of the proceeds from donations. Craig receives nothing from any of the money raised with this project. Donations are not required to download the album or the book. But they are appreciated.
