There are several interesting signs on the mountain. Unfortunately, I'm usually driving and can't easily take pictures of them.My favorite sign?
Say no to drugs
Yes to Jesus
There are several interesting signs on the mountain. Unfortunately, I'm usually driving and can't easily take pictures of them.
What place has the highest percentage of Baptists in the world?
I'll post the answer after some of you guess. No fair Googling it!
I'll post the answer after some of you guess. No fair Googling it!
Only 16 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds consider themselves adults.
We have a 5% chance of a white Christmas this year... Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to all the women of the world.
To those who are weighed down with guilt, it is forgiveness.
To those who sin, it is redemption and renewal.
To those who are oppressed, it is freedom.
To those who live with fear, it is peace.
To those who are despised and rejected, it is kinship with the God who endured the shame of the cross.
To those who are bound by culture and tradition, it is emancipation by One who treated women as equals.
To those who cannot trust, it is dependence upon One who has proven himself trustworthy.
To those who are lonely, it is friendship with the Best Friend women ever had.
To those who are devalued, it is a new identity as joint-heirs of the grace of God.
As women who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we are compelled by his love, commanded by his Word, and gifted by his Spirit to share this Gospel with those who have not seen or heard the salvation of our God.
Therefore,
We will radiate his light into the dark corners of women’s experience;
We will bear his life to those who are dying;
We will share our bread with those who are hungry;
We will declare his promise of Resurrection to those who have no hope;
We will proclaim his empowerment to those who are powerless;
We will bring affirmation to those who do not know they are made in the image of God;
We will see with the eyes of Jesus, weep with his tears, hear with his ears, speak with his words, touch with his hands, embrace with his arms, and feel with his heart
Until that great day comes when every woman, man, and child will know the glorious grace and goodness of our God.
Baptist World Alliance Women’s Department, 1992.
To those who are weighed down with guilt, it is forgiveness.
To those who sin, it is redemption and renewal.
To those who are oppressed, it is freedom.
To those who live with fear, it is peace.
To those who are despised and rejected, it is kinship with the God who endured the shame of the cross.
To those who are bound by culture and tradition, it is emancipation by One who treated women as equals.
To those who cannot trust, it is dependence upon One who has proven himself trustworthy.
To those who are lonely, it is friendship with the Best Friend women ever had.
To those who are devalued, it is a new identity as joint-heirs of the grace of God.
As women who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we are compelled by his love, commanded by his Word, and gifted by his Spirit to share this Gospel with those who have not seen or heard the salvation of our God.
Therefore,
We will radiate his light into the dark corners of women’s experience;
We will bear his life to those who are dying;
We will share our bread with those who are hungry;
We will declare his promise of Resurrection to those who have no hope;
We will proclaim his empowerment to those who are powerless;
We will bring affirmation to those who do not know they are made in the image of God;
We will see with the eyes of Jesus, weep with his tears, hear with his ears, speak with his words, touch with his hands, embrace with his arms, and feel with his heart
Until that great day comes when every woman, man, and child will know the glorious grace and goodness of our God.
Baptist World Alliance Women’s Department, 1992.
I noticed a few things in Canada that were different from things in Alabama (besides just the weather and the people's accents):
- different words: cutlery (not silverware), washrooms (not bathrooms), eh?
- metric system (Believe me, zero degrees there felt just about as cold as it does here.)
- smart cars
- most jobs start at 8:30 or 9 in the mornings
- parents put plastic covers over the front of strollers to keep their babies warmer
- people wear snow boots and take them off when they go inside--some people even take slippers with them when they visit someone's house
- people like it when it snows, because that means it's "not too cold" (apparently it can get so cold there that it doesn't snow at all)
If you get a chance to go there, I'd recommend it!
You could see the mist from the falls--miles away--from the airplane. 
Everything around the falls was covered with snow and ice.
Apparently the cold didn't bother the bird that much. (Dumb bird.)
The falls were lit up once it got dark.
These pictures aren't all amazing, but at least they'll give you more of an idea of some of what I did in Toronto.
There were lights everywhere--both city lights and Christmas lights. 
chalk drawing along the longest street in the world
looking at Christmas windows of a department store
The CN Tower was the tallest building in the world until this past September. As you can tell from this picture, we didn't exactly get an amazing view from the lookout or the revolving restaurant this day.
Standing (in snow boots) on the glass floor in the tower--on a clear day you can see down to the street.
Korean barbecue--Toronto is probably the most multicultural city in the world.
Was it cold in Toronto? See for yourself.
Not the greatest video, but maybe you'll get the idea (ice skating)...
I took the train across the border. On the way there, the Canadian border agents just came around and checked our passports. But on the way back, the US agents made us get off the train with all our bags. We went into the station, and they checked everyone thoroughly. They had even locked the bathrooms so no one could go in. Pretty serious stuff!
The inside of the train was a lot like a plane, except roomier.
Canada! 
where I stayed (on the top floor!)
I'm too busy having a great time to post much here now. Today I went to Niagara Falls, among other things. More later!
Two planes, one train, one subway, and a walk--I made it!Wish you were here...it's cold but I think it will be fun!
Time of departure for Atlanta:5:45 AM
Weirdest things we found in boxes:fake "bubba" teeth
used socks
toy snake
toilet paper
Interesting rule: no tootsie rolls (they may melt)
Cutest things in boxes:
cards made by kids
photos of senders
US map with sender's town marked
Number of boxes examined from 8 AM to 3 PM that day:
22,000
Most interesting item to remove:
snakes, because they are seen as gods in India
(For the sake of full disclosure--I didn't take most of these pictures. )
Cutest things in boxes:cards made by kids
photos of senders
US map with sender's town marked
Number of boxes examined from 8 AM to 3 PM that day:22,000
Most interesting item to remove:snakes, because they are seen as gods in India
(For the sake of full disclosure--I didn't take most of these pictures. )
Most Americans believe adulthood begins at age 26.
Tonight I was planning on posting pictures from my trip to the Operation Christmas Child warehouse.
Instead, I'll be telling you the story of my lost camera. It's kind of long, but I know some of you like details. I'll try not to drag it out too much...
1. The rental car company near my work made a mistake and didn't have a van ready for us to go to Atlanta.
2. We had to rent a van from the company in Hoover instead (not near my work).
3. I had my camera the whole time we were in Atlanta, and took several pictures.
4. Coming back, I put the camera in the floor of the van with all my other stuff.
5. We were late getting back. In my rush to leave for church, and amidst all the stuff I had (coat, lunch, purse, free t-shirt, etc), I left my camera in the van.
6. A few hours later, I realized I didn't have my camera. Too late.
7. I called the car company this morning. They said they would "call me right back." I never heard back from them.
8. The person who rented the van called the car company. They said they would call us back.
9. The car company called us back and said they found my camera (WHEW)--but it was now in Sylacauga.
10. The person who works in their Sylacauga office lives in Birmingham, in the same apartment compex as someone who works in their Hoover office. So they'll trade off my camera.
11. I can pick up my camera in Hoover when they're open. (It's not really "at my convenience," because going to Hoover isn't really convenient. But at least they have it!)
Their hours don't work well for me, but hey--it sounds like I'll get my camera back. That's a good thing.
I'm not usually the absent-minded one, so it annoys me when I lose my stuff like this.
Sigh...you'll just have to imagine what the Operation Christmas Child warehouse looked like until then.
Instead, I'll be telling you the story of my lost camera. It's kind of long, but I know some of you like details. I'll try not to drag it out too much...
1. The rental car company near my work made a mistake and didn't have a van ready for us to go to Atlanta.
2. We had to rent a van from the company in Hoover instead (not near my work).
3. I had my camera the whole time we were in Atlanta, and took several pictures.
4. Coming back, I put the camera in the floor of the van with all my other stuff.
5. We were late getting back. In my rush to leave for church, and amidst all the stuff I had (coat, lunch, purse, free t-shirt, etc), I left my camera in the van.
6. A few hours later, I realized I didn't have my camera. Too late.
7. I called the car company this morning. They said they would "call me right back." I never heard back from them.
8. The person who rented the van called the car company. They said they would call us back.
9. The car company called us back and said they found my camera (WHEW)--but it was now in Sylacauga.
10. The person who works in their Sylacauga office lives in Birmingham, in the same apartment compex as someone who works in their Hoover office. So they'll trade off my camera.
11. I can pick up my camera in Hoover when they're open. (It's not really "at my convenience," because going to Hoover isn't really convenient. But at least they have it!)
Their hours don't work well for me, but hey--it sounds like I'll get my camera back. That's a good thing.
I'm not usually the absent-minded one, so it annoys me when I lose my stuff like this.
Sigh...you'll just have to imagine what the Operation Christmas Child warehouse looked like until then.
Many Christians obsess over the church's relevance [to the latest fads and trends] . . . But is it more important for the church to be present in pop culture--or in refugee camps and soup kitchens?
Have you seen the star on the mountain? You'll notice it throughout the month of December as you drive down the highway.
It looks different from above.
rappelling to change the bulbs
testing
looking down
Last year, there were 30 feet of books produced for every person in the world.
About 98% of Americans will eat turkey today.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Someone gave me a book full of words to use in your dissertation. Since I know you'll all want a copy, I'll provide a preview while you wait for the book to ship:
words:
concretize
encapsulate
exacerbate
intimate
promulgate
surmise
vitiate
phrases:
The question arises...
The literature is replete with references to...
The ideas expressed by __ lead to a broader conceptualization of...
...having no intrinsic relation to...
The general theoretical context of ___ is assumed to be fundamental to...
This phenomena derives from...
...token applicability to...
And while we're on the subject of wish lists, I've updated mine at Amazon. Caveat emptor.
words:
concretize
encapsulate
exacerbate
intimate
promulgate
surmise
vitiate
phrases:
The question arises...
The literature is replete with references to...
The ideas expressed by __ lead to a broader conceptualization of...
...having no intrinsic relation to...
The general theoretical context of ___ is assumed to be fundamental to...
This phenomena derives from...
...token applicability to...
And while we're on the subject of wish lists, I've updated mine at Amazon. Caveat emptor.
I know you check here multiple times every day for scintillating reports of life on the mountain, but I've been busy: driving, working, driving, sleeping, working on my dissertation, thinking about working on my dissertation...
I'll work on some of my pictures later and put them up. In the meantime, I'd recommend that you find some other sites or hobbies to occupy your time. Maybe this will get you started: http://www.fsi-language-courses.net/
I'll work on some of my pictures later and put them up. In the meantime, I'd recommend that you find some other sites or hobbies to occupy your time. Maybe this will get you started: http://www.fsi-language-courses.net/
Almost half of Americans under age 30 have a tattoo.
A 75-year-old Swedish grandmother has the world's fastest internet connection. She can download a full-length movie in less than 2 seconds.
She uses her connection to read Web-based newspapers.
She uses her connection to read Web-based newspapers.
Leader: Do you remember what kind of bad weather they have in Haiti? Remember--it's an island.
GA 1: Tornadoes?
Leader: No, but you're close.
GA 2: Volcanoes!
Me: What does giving someone clean water have to do with what this verse says about doing something unto the 'least of these' like you're doing it for Jesus?
GA 3: Ooh! Ooh! I know! It's like today I gave my brother a whoopee cushion. When I gave it to him it was really like I gave it to lots of people.
GA 1: Tornadoes?
Leader: No, but you're close.
GA 2: Volcanoes!
Me: What does giving someone clean water have to do with what this verse says about doing something unto the 'least of these' like you're doing it for Jesus?
GA 3: Ooh! Ooh! I know! It's like today I gave my brother a whoopee cushion. When I gave it to him it was really like I gave it to lots of people.
Posts
