December 24, 2010

Christmas Card Conceit

I don’t know how it happened but it was the night before the night before Christmas, and the chestnuts were roasting on an open fire when we decided that it was perfect weather for a Jasper family picture. 

These happen once in a lunar eclipse.

But we did it. It was filled plenty of anguish, endearment, and narcissism.  What a great evening spent with my dear bros: from the left Casey (25) Ryan (22), and Luke (26) We might make a lumberjack envious with all that flannel. I'm not sure these will actually make it into a Christmas card...






Merry Christmas, from the Jaspers! :)

December 10, 2010

The Final Countdown

Its that time of year when finals role around, and the teachers examine what knowledge we have acquired over of the past 4 months.

So, these are my psychology notes.....







Whoops.
I hope studying for that turns out okay.

In the meantime, you should treat yourself to a study break and check out this great music video to get you pumped for exam week. Its a classic. Gets me every time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

December 4, 2010

THE FORT

Don't misunderstand me when I say that I am SO grateful to live in a suite with Lindsay Francomb, Morgan Stiebel, Lindsay Ragole, Sara Cummings, & Ashley Edmunds. They really are good people with warm hearts. BUT, unfortunately, sometimes we are all deaf to the voice of love. In this particular situation the voice of love spoke in the form of a fort that was handcrafted for the purpose of cultivating an environment of community and comradeship. Watch this short clip to better understand what I mean...




We share something special because we live together. The spirit of God in me is connecting with the spirit of God in another, we weren't designed to live this life alone. The body of Christ is our divine resource, but we have to fight for this community where Jesus's love is at the center, "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance" 2 Thess 3:5


.....I think they secretly liked the fort underneath their mature big kid masks :)



November 14, 2010

DIY: Do it Yourself (a Memoir on the Trendy race)

I was fortunate enough to snag tickets for the Sufjan Stevens show in Richmond this fall...

Most people at the show could be described as “hipster” “trendy” or “indie” (these words are NOT interchangeable- thanks for the insight Barefoot)
This is why: They were all so cool.
I decided to find out the secret ingredient of what made them so “trendy”
I searched urban dictionary and found that “A Hipster ideally possesses no more than 2% body fat” but I knew there was more depth into what it meant to be truly “indie” so I asked my colleagues what they thought. Hipster Sean Carter says, “One of the most important parts about being indie is saying you are not indie.”
Me “Is that all you have to say?”
Mr. Carter “Yes, because I’m not Indie”
Clark ‘Griswold’ Adams “That was so indie”

My research left me with these steps to becoming Indie:
Step 1: road bikes
Step 2: flannel is crucial
Step 3: goodwill
Step 4: starbucks chai tea
“Starbucks sux, except those chai teas they are real good, I drink like 20-26 venti chais a day” – Josh Leslie
Step 5: listening to music like Mumford & sons, Sigor Ros, Josi… or anything on vinyl
Step 6: oversized glasses
Local independent musician Clint Mann says of oversized glasses, “They make you look like really cute, they make you look like you don’t care what people think, plus they make you look super indie like Ben Folds and he’s indie as crap. LOL."
Step 7: anything black and white especially photography

Step 8: beards, unkept hair
Step 9: vegan, going green, climbing things
Step 10: skinny jeans, urban outfitters [v-necks]
Step 11: Liberal Arts degrees
Step 12: INDIEpendence, counter culture

Follow these 12 easy steps and you are on your way to becoming the coolest cat on the block!

DISCLAIMER: being indie is rejecting the cultural norm, or doing what is expected, it is a frame of mind, so actually following these steps will NOT make you indie.

Other findings:
  • ·Things that are almost indie or pseudo-indie: Death Cab for Cutie, OK go, skateboards, etc...
  • ·Things that are exact opposite of indie: fall out boy, sports, listening to the radio, mainstream, The Gap, etc….


The truth is we all have something cool to offer this world because"we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works..." Eph. 2:10- our value is not in what music we listen to or how vintage our clothes are, we are all knit together by the Lord of the universe, and that is significant.

A special thanks to these sources:
 "Ben Folds - Way to Normal." Exclaim! Canada's Music Authority. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/PopAndRock/ben_folds-way_to_normal/>. 

"Urban Dictionary: Hipster." Urban Dictionary, November 14: Bacontarian. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster>.

November 12, 2010

I need to clean my room.

You and I have a mess to clean up.  

I was listening to a song today that really struck me:
 “Your calling me to lay aside the worries of my day, to quiet down my busy mind and find the hiding place…. Worthy. You are Worthy.”

Ironically, the first time I choose to blog about something, what comes to mind is [silence.] How much of what I say is ultimately unnecessary? 

“The more the words, the less the meaning & how does that profit anyone?” Ecclesiastes 6:11

My good friend Anna[check out her blog > http://elleanarhythm.blogspot.com/] always knows how to gently provide sound advice that makes me think for weeks, sometimes years (its that good). This time she was directing me towards prayer, and she left me with the words of Mother Teresa- The fruit of prayer is often silence.

So why would I resort to silence? Because the Lord is Worthy. He is worthy


"but a man of understanding holds his tongue" Proverbs 11:12  and again "he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" Proverbs 13:3 

How often do I let my many words reflect who I am instead of my actions?

I heard this story earlier this year: A father asks his daughter to clean her room. She responds with an enthusiastic “Yes!” So willing. She sits in her room with her friends and they all talk about how they are going to clean the room. The father comes back and is deeply hurt, “Why is your room not clean?”
This is me, I can talk all day in Bible studies, Young Life clubs, or at church about how I need to be living a life as a child of the light, but it means nothing if I don’t do it.
If I am going to make great boasts with my words then an action needs to accompany it. I must first let the Lord's love consume my thoughts instead of the worries of this world in order to act on His promise of everlasting love. I can confidently take steps towards this because of 1 John 4" Dear friends let us love one another because love comes from God......God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.... We love because he first loved us." 

Lets just do it. Lets act out in faith and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us. Let His     eternal love flood our mind.
And this is my suite mate Lindsay Ragole.... She actually needs to clean her room.