My Top 3 of 2009

After reading a similar post on one of my favorite blogs, Andrew Peterson's The Rabbit Room, I have decided to post my top three movies, music, and books of 2009 :) Enjoy!

Movies:
Okay, so I really don't like to see movies in the theater... I can literally count on one hand the number of movies I actually went to a theater to see over the past year and usually it was because someone else wanted to go. So I bent my own rules a little to make this list. I would apologize, but it's my blog and I can do what I want to. So there. :)

• Slumdog Millionaire: Yes, this movie was actually released in the theater in 2008, but I didn't see it until 2009. This movie truly forced me to get outside of myself and to see life through the eyes of another. Yes, it was achingly sad to watch, but as much as it broke my heart, it also gave me hope. It's one of those movies I couldn't stop thinking about days after I saw it. That, my friend, is the mark of a truly good movie.
• Star Trek: Shocked? Yeah, me too. I went to see this movie with my parents over the summer and the only reason we went to it was because my dad wanted to see it (mom and I wanted to see Up). Truthfully, I like sci-fi type movies and tv shows, but usually these kinds of movies are poorly written and hastily thrown together (as in, all of the new Star Wars movies). I went in expecting to be bored and disappointed, but was more than a little surprised at how much I truly enjoyed this movie. It was funny (I mean laugh out loud funny), it didn't try to be an obnoxious tribute to the old movies, it was well-cast, and the plot was suspenseful and engaging.
  
• Little Dorrit: This was really a mini-series done by BBC, but, as I said, I don't see movies in the theater and this was one movie I loved and wanted to see again so it's on the list :) Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors, and this mini-series beautifully adapted one of his books. It tells the story of one girl, Amy Dorrit, and her experiences going from absolute poverty to riches. Charles Dickens always has the best characters... His good characters are so, so good and his evil characters are truly evil. There's so much color and emotion in his stories and I love the layers within his storytelling. He doesn't just tell one story, he tells the stories of all of the characters. Andrew Davies wrote the screenplay for this-- he is best known for his screenplay for BBC's Pride and Prejudice-- and he has yet again perfectly adapted a classic piece of literature.

Music:
Music was both an easier and more difficult category for me to complete. I feel like I almost need to have different musical categories and do a top three within each category-- but for the sake of time (and to prevent carpal tunnel), I have begrudgingly narrowed it down to three albums I just can't seem to stop listening to.

• Waking Up (OneRepublic): All the Right Moves is seriously my new favorite song. I love the layers within their music-- the use of electronic sounds along with strings and pianos. The percussion hits hard and invokes an emotional response to the words being sung. A truly creative and fun album.
• Armistice (MuteMath): I have a weakness for this band... They are SO much fun and I love, love, love, love this album. Armistice is my favorite song on the album, but I love that each song has it's own personality and message. There is truly a song for every mood, and that, in my mind, is a mark of a great album.
  
• Prospekt's March (Coldplay EP): Okay, okay, so this album was actually released in 2008, but I didn't know it existed until 2009... It's Coldplay, so I can't not have it on my list. It's truly one of the best things my ears have listened to this year.
  
• Honorable Mentions: Church Music (David Crowder Band); Ocean Eyes (Owl City); Danyew-- he's released 3 short EPs, and each of them is creative, beautiful, and heart-wrenching

Books:
I love books, but this past year has been difficult for me to be able to sit down and complete a book. Therefore, this list is not my best- but I'll do the best I can :)

• Books 1 & 2 of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson: I grabbed these books in October not really expecting much. Andrew Peterson is known for his song-writing and sometimes when singers (and actors, for that matter) try to cross over into novel-writers the results are a little sloppy. But these books truly, truly became one of my all-time favorite series. Peterson was able to write a story that integrated laugh-out-loud moments with moments that made me grab for the kleenex. I will say that this series is considered to be written for children, but no matter what age you are I promise you can't help but love them. Peterson has only written the first two in the series, and he is planning on five, so I am waiting impatiently for him to get writing on the next story. In the meantime, I am reading the first book in the series (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness) to my third graders right now and am loving watching them love these books too.
  
• Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore: Don't read this book if you're not comfortable with being slapped in the face with your own selfishness and stereotypes. This is a memoir written by two men who are very unlikely friends. Ron is a multi-million dollar earning art dealer, and Denver spent most of his life homeless. The book is basically a series of vignettes telling about their lives, their spiritual journeys, and their friendship with one another. I don't know that any book has convicted me on my propensity to pre-judge and stereotype people more than this book. If you haven't read it yet, I strongly (strongly!) recommend that you do. It will break your heart in all the right ways.
• The Voice New Testament: This modern Bible translation was one that I hesitated to put onto my blog-- mostly because people get a little bent out of shape when they hear the words "modern Bible translation". However, I absolutely love this translation. I find it easier to use than it's predecessor, The Message, mostly because the language is exquisite and poetic. This translation was completed by leaders of the emergent church movement (including Chris Seay, Lauren Winner, Brian McLaren, and many others). Each book has an introduction that is written to tell it's back story, but unlike many translations, it doesn't give you just the facts. Every introduction is written almost like a story or poem, and it gets you engaged in what you are about to read in a new way. I will say that I don't really recommend this translation if you are looking to do some heavy-duty hermeneutics with the scriptures. However, it's a great tool to use when trying to relate scripture to young people and to people who don't read the Bible very much and aren't used to it's language.

So, there it is! My top three of 2009... I'm looking forward to my new discoveries in 2010 :)

Choosing What is Better

So after listening to approximately five sermons on Mary and Martha over the past year, all by different pastors, I figured God may be trying to tell me something. After much thought and reflection, here is what I learned from Martha and Mary...
In Luke 10:38-41, Jesus and his disciples go to visit the home of siblings Martha, Lazarus, and Mary. Martha, being the homeowner and hostess, immediately busies herself with all of the preparations a party and big meal require. Mary, meanwhile, is found sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha is, of course, annoyed by this because she's over here slaving away and her sister is just sitting there making googly eyes at the rabbi! So, she walks up to Jesus and lets her frustration be known. "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!" In the past, I always read Jesus' response as "Martha, Martha (deep sigh of disappointment) you are over-busy, you have a bad attitude, and you should learn a little something from Mary's Godly example". I need to pause here for just a moment and tell you that Jesus' response always kind of annoyed me. I mean, Martha is doing what needs to be done! Reality is that if Martha wasn't working to get everything prepared, everyone would be hungry, frustrated, and blaming her poor organizational skills. So Martha lets it be known that she could use a little help and Jesus makes her feel bad about it! Okay, so maybe that's not exactly how it all went down, but that's the way I have always read it before.
Confession time. The reason I have always been annoyed by Jesus' response is because I really, really have a lot in common with Martha. I mean, I think we may be related. And I don't think there's anything wrong with being a doer like Martha! I mean, someone's got to take care of the details, right?
But after many, many, many sermons on this passage, I realized that maybe God wanted me to take a closer look (what can I say? I'm a little stubborn sometimes...). So here are two main things I realized about Martha (and myself).
First- Martha really just needed some affirmation that what she was doing was valuable. Clayton King of NewSpring Church pointed this out in a message I listened to today, and it really impacted me. The first thing Martha says to Jesus is "Lord, don't you care...?" After reading that, I realized that generally, that's what I say to Jesus when stressed, overwhelmed, and tired. "Hello up there? Don't you see I'm drowning here?!" Martha (like all women), just needed someone to acknowledge what she was going through. Jesus' response of "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset by many things" is so true. Because in a woman's mind, if one thing's wrong it will set off an emotional chain-reaction. Women can get from "Man, I'm tired" to "NOBODY LOVES ME!" in about 5 seconds. And that was where Martha was. She was tired, overwhelmed, and upset that her sister wasn't helping (and probably jealous that Mary was doing what she wanted to do too). But from that seed of frustration she took an emotional journey to "Don't you CARE?!". Jesus' response of "Martha, Martha" was actually showing a great amount of care. In those times, to say someone's name twice was to show deep love and concern. Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this that to say her name twice was to "speak as one in earnest and deeply concerned for her welfare". Wow! He really does care-- even though we so often get upset about things that really aren't going to decide the fate of the universe. Jesus wasn't putting down Martha's hard work or her frustration about the situation, he was gently and lovingly pointing out that although dinner is important, there are so many other things that matter-- and her emotional outburst wasn't going to manipulate Him to rebuke Mary's decision to sit at His feet.
Which leads me to the second thing I realized... Maybe part of why Martha was admonished is because she was focusing on the wrong person. As a teacher, when I talk to a student about a behavior issue, many times the student's response is "But look at Johnny! What about him?!". Siblings often do that to each other too. I remember so many times when I was focused on what my brother was or was not doing, or on what he was or was not getting. The truth of the matter is that Jesus wants us to do what our parents always told us to do "take care of yourself-- let me worry about them". Even still, particularly in ministry, I allow Satan to rob my joy for serving others by redirecting my attention to the person who is not only not helping me, she is also getting all of the attention. Suddenly, I want a little attention too. A little "nice work Evie, we couldn't survive without you!". But Mary really did get it right-- because what she was doing was all about Jesus. Martha could have just as easily gotten it right too- not by stopping what she was doing and sitting at the feet of the rabbi, but by simply resting in what Jesus thinks about her ("Martha, Martha...") and continuing her work with a heart of a servant who has confidence in her rabbi's love for her (Jn. 11:5), instead of focusing on what her sister wasn't doing.
As I reflect on this passage, it feels like it was the theme of my year. I can almost hear the Father saying to me "Evangeline, Evangeline...". I have doubted, questioned, and argued. Dealt with inadequacy, fear, and insecurity. It's been possibly the biggest year-long spiritual battle I've ever been through-- and I have repeatedly questioned if He cared, or even if He was there at all. All along He has been whispering to me "Evangeline, Evangeline...". As I look forward to the upcoming year, it is my prayer that I can hold on to this lesson. There is really only one thing that is needed-- and I already have Him.
May we all choose what is better in 2010.

Do you like me? Check Yes or No.

Note passed from one student to another in my class, intercepted by me:

I like you Amy I am just ask if you least one to be my girl friend this is coming from the heart I like you Amy this song is dedacatid to you look in to my eyes and try to feel my pain do you no how it feels in the rain each and someone is judging me and were I live and how I live on the streets.

** FYI: the student who he passed the note to was not named Amy-- apparently he didn't know her name... Not sure where the last couple of lines came from or what they had to do with her being his girlfriend, but apparently he thought it was important information.

Second attempt at note passed from student to same girl-- again intercepted by me:
I like you Amy will you be my girlfriend and I love you plus I will do your homework for you I love you so much you don't even know it I love I hope you Amy say is love you are hot so hot that I want to kiss you I just love you will like that because I love you have day.


**All spelling errors were corrected by me.. Trust me, this girl doesn't want him doing her homework, at least not his spelling homework!

Character

Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man: it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.

~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A Way Out...

I started a program with our youth group this week called "Read The Bible In 90 Days". The intention behind this idea is to give youth an opportunity to really see the scope, sequence, and themes of the Bible. Now, I've read the whole Bible before-- it's hard to avoid when you go to a Christian university. But it's been a very long time, and there's something different and special about reading it for my own pleasure vs. reading it for a school assignment. Yesterday was just the first day of the program, but immediately I was able to see the theme of the Word: "there's always a way out..." When I read the first 15 chapters of Genesis, I saw God seek out his sinful creation in the Garden of Eden right after they had eaten of the Tree of Knowledge. He prevented them from living forever in their sinful bodies by banishing them from the Garden before they ate of the Tree of Life. He destroyed the sinful earth, but he preserved it through Noah and his sons. He made a covenant that would save all the people of the earth through the line of Abram and Sarai. Often in the past when I have read the first few chapters of Genesis, I have been overwhelmed by all of the information coming at me (which is to be expected when thousands of years of history is told in less than 12 pages). It was hard to see the trees for the forest. But every time I look at the Word, either in parts or as a whole, I am still able to see a gracious God pursuing sinful people. Not just forgiving, pursuing! What an amazing God I serve. One that not only loves me enough to forgive me when I come to Him, He loves me so much He comes to find me.

Luke 15:4-7

What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture to go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing, and when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!" I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents , than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Foot Washing

I've been thinking about foot washing lately. These days, if you went up to someone and offered to wash their feet they'd probably think you were in school to be a pedicurist and overly eager to practice your new trade. So what does it mean to wash the feet of others when it's socially unacceptable to do this literally? As I read my Bible study this morning, it made the point that Jesus washed the feet of His disciples knowing who he was in the Father (John 13:3-5). Jesus was able to do this act of humility because He was confident in His identity in the Father-- He didn't need accolades or approval from anyone else. He also didn't do it because He saw Himself as lower than those around Him. So my question for myself is, how often do I truly wash the feet of others? How often do I realize that who I am in Christ is enough and behave with Godly humility? I think so many times I serve others because I'm looking for glory, approval, or because I see myself as less than they are. That's not humility. Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons makes it the wrong thing. Thank the Lord that He understands us and our stupid need to be recognized! Thank the Lord He revealed this to me-- and now, hopefully, I can truly and humbly wash the feet of those around me.

I am gentle, and humble in heart. (Matthew 11:29b)

My Biggest Fear...

Okay, so you know in all of those fictional books where it talks about singles groups and the kinds of people in them? There's always a scary, socially awkward, older female character who is "in charge"of the group. Generally she walks around with a clipboard getting people to sign up for things, making sure snacks are provided, and basically coordinating humiliating activities that no one in their right minds would participate in (for example: Coffee and Christian Karaoke Night). That is honestly my biggest fear in life. I'm absolutely terrified of being "the crazy clipboard lady". I mean, seriously, I coordinate all of the events for my singles group and I definitely provide food on Sunday mornings! There's not much separating me from "crazy-singleforareason-clipboard-lady"! I mean, yes, I am younger (not for long), and yes, I have better style (thanks to InStyle Magazine), but what if all of that changes?? Please, as my friends, if you start to see my fears being realized-- do the kind thing and take away the clipboard.