The Music of Fellowship

I continue to be amazed at the effect music can have on people. The way it reaches into dark corners, brightens a cloudy day, sets weary feet dancing and sore throats trilling...

Last weekend, I was babysitting for my "adopted" family in Fort Langley, and on the way back from dropping off his four-year-old sister at pre-school, nearly-two-year-old Atticus started singing in the stroller. I was amazed at how readily and easily he started making melodies.

Tonight I was at Atticus's two-year-old birthday party, and we were once again brought together by music. Someone started talking about a youtube video of a song, and pretty soon, there were six adults gathered around the screen, watching this video and talking about the song. I loved the song, and I loved the atmosphere. Music can really unite people.

It's true! I automatically feel more "at one" with someone who has similar music tastes or introduces me to music I really like. Most of my favorite artists have been referred to me by friends and family. If it hadn't been for them, I would never have discovered that I love a certain album. Sometimes my opinion about a song is even changed after I'm with people and we share an experience while listening to the song.

Music is evocative. It captures something in the human heart that nothing else can. Praise the One who made music in us! And while you're at it, check out this song by Walk off the Earth, which is a cover of a song by Gotye, and it's all good as long as it's "Somebody I Used to Know" by either of them (although Gotye's video is a little odd...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SctrCJSg_U

Exit Jesus

I have not posted anything in far too long, and I really have no excuse. I just didn't want to. Lazy, I guess. ;) 

Just after my semester finished in December (the 14th, to be exact), I was talking to my dad on the phone, and he told me a funny story. [Sidenote: I was sick at the time, and just wanting to talk to my parents for no particular reason, especially since they were going to arrive in a few days. But I called anyways. When Dad told me this story, I started laughing, which caused me to nearly hack out a lung - thought you should know even though it's TMI.]

My dad was working at an old lady's house, and they started making small talk. His children came up, and the fact that I'm living in British Columbia, Canada. "What's she doing way up there?" the woman asked. "She's studying linguistics and exegesis," my dad replied [man, I've trained him well! lol]. Linguistics, the woman understood, but "what's exegesis?" My dad explained that I was learning how to interpret and explain the Bible. "Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "Exit Jesus! I thought it was some fancy Latin word!"

I've been trying to come up with a sweet segue, but nothing is coming to me. I've exited my first semester of grad school, and I did quite well. Despite my good grades, I realized I need to put more effort into my studies. I need to do more continual review, and apply myself more. Even my slacker friends from undergrad seem to be studying more than me in grad school. [I only know this from their accounts, but I trust them.] 

Regardless, I learned a lot this semester. I finished up my Field Methods class last, and the crowning glory was a printed dictionary of a large number of the Swahili words I learned this semester. It would have been more impressive had I entered all the data I collected this semester, but since I'm the only one who actually knows how much more I learned, it still seems pretty impressive. I showed it off to my family.

Yes, my family visited me over Christmas break! I had about a week between school and their visit. They stayed in Langley for a few days (some friends let us house-sit while they were gone), and I got to introduce them to a bunch of people who are important to me here. I also gave them a tour of the school, and my favorite town, Fort Langley. Then we went to Vancouver Island together, out to Ucluelet on the western coast. [More to come about that later.] We made our way back to the US of A via Washington's Olympic Peninsula, and then Seattle. I took a bus back to Langley, and they flew back to Chicago. It was a great trip with them, and I'm enjoying a week of whatever I want before school starts again. 

Exit Jesus is by no means a command for him to leave. Actually, I'm hoping that as I continue in my studies this semester, the character of God will become more and more clear to me. More like...enter, Jesus. Enter me.