Sunday we headed up to Biltmore, and it was a beautiful day, yet very very very cold. The snow on the ground wasn't melting...at least not in the shadows.
So Sunday night was the traditional Rose Family Sunday dinner - mac n cheese, collards, fried chicken, rice (in this case, Hoppin' Johns), and sweet potato casserole. Yum! It was very nice to see everyone since it was Christmas when we saw them last!!
RadicalDid you know that radical Muslims pay for commercials over in the mid-east that try to convince people that America is bad b/c we own Pepsi, which stands for Pay Every Penny to Save Israel. WHAT?! This is paranoia at it's finest. Straight from the AP:
"In the Gulf, flyers list U.S. companies that should be boycotted. One said people should stop drinking Pepsi "because it is an acronym that stands for Pay Every Penny to Save Israel.'' "O Muslim, you will not die for not buying Jewish products,'' it said. Calling Pepsi a "Jewish product'' is ironic, given that Pepsi was one of many multinationals that wouldn't do business in Israel during the 40-year Arab commercial boycott of the Jewish state."
Donald and I watched a Fox News Special in early Feb that talked about radical Islam - wow- It was absolutely crazy. They have cartoons, I'm talkin' children's cartoons, where the super hero good guy is praying to Allah while jumping off a cliff, with bombs tied to his body onto a Jewish army truck, which then blows up. They have Mr. Rogers type programs, where the little kids are singing cute little solos, which, when translated, are saying, "I'm going to be a soldier and kill Americans when I grow up." I'm not exaggerating. Ok, so I must give a disclaimer, just like E.D. did on Fox (10 times), that the program wasn't talking about your average Muslim-- but rather, the extreme radicals. Ok, so there's my disclaimer. A lot of the program focused on martyrs, aka suicide bombers. Supposedly the only reason they do it is b/c A. it's the only guaranteed way to heaven for them and B. 72 virgins will be waiting for them there. (And the mothers of these martyrs, rejoiced in their sons' deaths, which is unbelievable). I wish everyone in the world could have watched this program. It's indisputable how nutso these people are. I would have a link to the video on here, but it's not available online. Robin- I'm sure Jim would LOVE to see it. I'm sure he'd some how try to excuse all of the nonsense.
Well, nonsense or not, I must say that it is totally intriguing. Their faith puts mine to shame. "But wait," you say, "They are trying to earn their way to heaven..." True, but I'm guilty of the same thing. The only difference is that my religion doesn't call me to earn my salvation. I just try and do so b/c I am weak and the desire to save myself is a result of my foolishness, just like them. This fool is so grateful for my Savior.
So- the moral of this story is that they need Jesus just like me, and they scare the poo out of me. Watch the video and you'd be skeered too.
Listening
Fav lyrics of the month:
Fighting thoughts of fear/ And wondering why He called my name/ Am I good enough to share this cup?/ This world has left me lame/ Even in my weakness/ The Savior called my name/ In His Holy presence/ I’m healed and unashamed -Leeland "Carried to the Table"
What am I doing here/ If you're not with me?/ What have I got to live for, if it's just my own dream?/Take it back to the beginning, back to the start/When gravity's pulling, you're still holding my heart/You come crashing down -Mat Kearny "Crashing Down" I think this was intended to be a love song, but I like pretending it's talking about my relationship with the Lord.
So I love hymns, and an album was just released called "Music Inspired by the Motion Picture Amazing Grace," (which, by the way, I'd never heard of that movie until JUST NOW when I was typing this-- a trailer just came on TV--weird) and there are artists on there like Chris Tomlin, Shawn McDonald, David Crowder, etc. and songs on there such as It is Well, How Great thou Art, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and so on. SO I was hoping for a really great compilation of hymns, BUT it's just ok.
Reading
I am currently reading "Desiring God" (John Piper), which I have now started reading for the third or fourth time since college, when I bought it to help me figure out why I didn't desire God. I still haven't figured it out quite yet (and when I say "started reading" that's what I mean- "started." I've never finished it. I don't want to mislead you in to thinking I've actually read a book 3 or 4 times. I'm not that faithful. Well, with the exception of any Berenstain Bear or Little Golden Book in my childhood collection). But anyways- it's good, and right now I'm at the part where he's explaining what Christian Hedonism is- in Piper's words:
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. We all make a god out of what we take the most pleasure in. Christian Hedonists want to make God their God by seeking after the greatest pleasure—pleasure in Him."
Watching
D and I don't watch a whole lot of TV...at least not an a nightly basis. We are currently recording Lost, House, Friday Night Lights, ER, American Idol, and The Office (so, that's not a lot...is it??). Normally when we have a free night, we will catch up on our shows. For instance, D had a dinner program last night, so I watched the last four episodes of ER and last week I caught up on Friday Night Lights. The only show that D cares to watch is Lost, and we've yet to start watching it. We usually watch American Idol together, but the show is getting really annoying. Well...maybe it's always been annoying, but the whole "Simon-is-such-a-bad-guy" thing that they try to pull off every year is getting even more obnoxious. Donald and I pretty much always agree with whatever Simon has to say, yet everyone boos him, and Paula and Randy always say something retarded in response, and then Ryan Seacrest tries to instigate a fight. Same story every time. D and I have our Idol-watching down to a science: fast forward through all the fluff, listen to the singer (but not for long if it's bad), then fast forward through Randy and Paula, listen to Simon, then fast forward through Ryan, and so on. It cuts a 2 hour show into about 45 minutes.
In addition to the Rose family visit, other things I want to remember about February are: Snow, Valentine's at Stax Grill- with the unbelievable crab cakes, Team Spann beat 4 other teams in Balderdash at Dion's, Mom and Dad came for Sunday dinner, Super Bowl Party, 109 Forty Love Point, circa 1987, is on the market (sad!), Dewa and Arie are leaving us this summer! We will find out for sure this week if it will be Iowa or Colorado (sad!!)
"This white stuff is freaky!"
