Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Friday, April 8, 2011

Piano solo with Pride and Prejudice clipsThis is an absolutely beautiful piano piece which goes along very nicely with the selected pieces from Pride and Prejudice. With that video, read Twice Have I Loved - Christina Rossetti .

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Replenishing the Well

Alex and Brett Harris put it wonderfully (as usual) in a post about inspiration, thinking, and why blog posts were rare around therebelution.com for awhile last year. It challenged me personally as I realized that, yes, I am reading a lot, but it is not really of the challenging Christian variety that stretches my mind and heart. I read Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey earlier this year, and that was truly about the extent of it. I've let myself slip into reading mostly school texts and books that, while good for general reading (such as Isabel Allende- wow) do nothing for my spirit.
 Once again, the Harris' have encouraged me to make a few changes in my everyday life. If you read this, I'm sure you will be challenged in some way as well. Are you ready to take up the challenge?
 http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2010/11/

Monday, January 17, 2011

August Rush

I recently watched one of the most maddening movies I have ever seen. It was maddening because I both love it and hate it; embrace some of the worldviews it presents and reject others. Still, it did what good movies should do: it left me with many things to think about long after the credits rolled.
 August Rush is the story of a boy named Evan who is growing up in the 'system', not knowing who his parents were or what happened to them. He goes through life hearing music- in everything. In the course of trying to find his parents, who he believes he is connected to by music, many strange things happens to him. First, he runs away to New York City, where he gets entangled with a man called "Wizard"- a creepy man who I never got a complete understanding of. The Wizard has him out on the street playing a guitar for money under the name 'August Rush'. After a police raid of the condemned theater where the Wizard is, he ends up in a church, where he meets a young girl who discovers his Mozart-like genius. The kindly reverend of the church takes him to Julliard, where he thrives, and ends up writing a fantastic orchestral piece.
 Throughout the movie Evan's story is intertwined with his parents- his mother, a famous cellist, and his father, an Irish boy who was part of a rock band with his brothers. We see the way that his parents met and were separated, and that his father didn't know of his existence, while his mother thought he was dead. The story could have come out trite and cliche, but somehow, it didn't. The way the music of his mother overlaps with that of his father is a particularly intriguing combination, and the use of music to bring everything together was a particularly enjoyable plot device. Subtle humor throughout kept this movie from being overly dark, though it definitely deserved its PG rating. Simply because of the many thought-provoking moments in it, I would recommend it- though, because of its intensity in some places, I agree with my Dad who deemed it best for ages 13 and up.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

 Profound question of the day:

  How shall we honor God in worship? By saying 'It's my duty', or by saying 'It's my joy'?  ~John Piper