Hello, all.
Sorry about the extended silence! I was buried under papers and exams for a few weeks there, but I've been free for about a week now and I'm LOVING it! One more week until grad school!
I was incredibly blessed by those who came to celebrate my graduation with me last Saturday. I was extremely humbled and grateful for those who came, and for their generosity! I felt so loved! Thank you all for showing me how God cares for even the smallest details in my life, and for reminding me of the many blessings He's given me in you all. :)
Well, friends, as you all know...tonight is Christmas Eve. I love Christmas, it's my favorite time of year. It's always over too quickly though. I wish we still celebrated it over twelve days, like they used to. In any case, it will be nice to spend some time with my family. My grandparents (from both sides) are here, so that's really nice. We plan on eating (Mom made me special sugar cookies that I can have!), going to church, then opening presents tonight. It's unusual, but we're usually all alone out here, and there was never a reason to wait until Christmas morning to open presents. I guess a lot of people do that because they go to their grandparents house for Christmas Day, but that would be a 6 hour flight for us! Some people might find that lonely, but we've always enjoyed ourselves. It's nice having quiet, family Christmases. But it'll be nice having our grandparents with us too. We have Spanish/Puerto Rican food from Mom's side of the family, and Italian food from my Dad's side, made by Papa, who came over on the boat from Italy in 1921 (so it's the good stuff!). It's not food I can have, but it's nice that everyone else can enjoy it! On Christmas Day we usually open our stockings, have breakfast, and go see a movie. This year we'll do something along those lines, but we're also Skyping our cousin Rosanna in Verona, Italy. She doesn't speak English, so Papa will have to translate. We'll see how it goes...it's nice being connected to our family over there. :)
So those are our plans. I feel an extra sharp sense of what God's done for me this Christmas. I've felt His strength throughout this year while encountering several trials and I've come to realize how He really IS present with us, always. So "Emmanuel" has a special meaning for me now. "God With Us"...do you realize how rare, how AMAZING that is? The God of the universe sent His only Son to become a man and live on this earth, amidst trials, pain, suffering, evil...everything He hates. And He died to save us, unworthy traitors, from dying in our sins. It would have been more than enough if He only died to save us, but He also made us heirs with Him! And He sent his Spirit to be with us, always. God is so amazing!
Thank you, Lord, for what Christmas means. Thank you for sending your Son to die in my place. Thank you for being with us.
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
A Smattering of Things...
It's been a busy few days, so this one post will cover several things.
First of all, I went to see "The Lion King" with the Honors and Scholars group from my school on Thursday.
WOW....
I was stunned. By the end of the first song I was shaking with excitement, shock, and joy. I had no idea they could do shows like that on stage! It was completely magical. The actors moved so at one with their puppets that it was easy to believe that they were simply the soul of the animals they portrayed, so full of life and grace. The singing and dancing were magnificent, and the music was fantastic. They handled the scene changes with the finesse only found in professionals, and the lighting was absolutely gorgeous, completing the world created by the designers. I've never seen a show so magical, and I hope I get to see it again someday. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.
Tonight we set up our fake tree and decorated it while watching "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." I'm so glad our tree is set up now, and the movie was even better than I remembered. It's been a long time since I watched that one. And that fact that it snowed tonight as we decorated made it a beautiful picture.
Today I finished one of my term papers, which is a huge weight off of my shoulders. Just one more, then my story (in place of a regular paper for another class), then exams. 8 days until graduation, and then 3 exams to take. It's going to be fine... The paper I finished today was on Christianity in Ancient Rome, just after Christ's ascension through Constantine. I decided to start my paper with some background on who Christ was and why He would have been meaningless to the Roman Empire were it not for the mob demanding His death to Pilate. The charge they finally assigned to him was "King of the Jews," after Jesus finally assented to the title. What struck me while I was researching and writing was the sovereignty of God. Everything was so planned, so exact. Pilate's decision was based on the only thing that sounded like it could POSSIBLY be credible, Jesus' trial was filled with fake witnesses... and everything went according to plan. Everything, right down to exactly the way His body would fail Him so that He would die of a broken heart upon the cross, not asphyxiation like most victims. None of His bones were broken. Prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.
Why? Why would the Son of God leave heaven to come and die for me? For you? As I read the details of His sufferings I was struck afresh with my own utter and complete wickedness and the kindness and love of God. I'm overwhelmed, completely in awe. All I could do was cry and apologize to Him, again, over and over. But every time that happens, no matter how aware I am of my sin, I'm MORE aware of His love and forgiveness.
How kind is God???
No other religion is driven by this love. God calls us to love Him, as HE first loved US. That's incredible! We follow Jesus because we love Him, and He demonstrates His love for us daily, in ways that we may never see until we're with Him in heaven. He really HAS given us abundantly more than we could ask for or imagine. His love is unfathomable, but it's the most real thing in the universe. He loved us before time began, and nothing can take us out of His hand.
I pray that you're given a fresh view of how much God loves you. It's getting close to Christmas, when we celebrate God sending His son down to begin the lowly life that would lead Him to a criminal's death and the wrath of His Father. All to reconcile us to Him and bring glory to His Father. We're so blessed...
Happy Sunday.
First of all, I went to see "The Lion King" with the Honors and Scholars group from my school on Thursday.
WOW....
I was stunned. By the end of the first song I was shaking with excitement, shock, and joy. I had no idea they could do shows like that on stage! It was completely magical. The actors moved so at one with their puppets that it was easy to believe that they were simply the soul of the animals they portrayed, so full of life and grace. The singing and dancing were magnificent, and the music was fantastic. They handled the scene changes with the finesse only found in professionals, and the lighting was absolutely gorgeous, completing the world created by the designers. I've never seen a show so magical, and I hope I get to see it again someday. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.
Tonight we set up our fake tree and decorated it while watching "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." I'm so glad our tree is set up now, and the movie was even better than I remembered. It's been a long time since I watched that one. And that fact that it snowed tonight as we decorated made it a beautiful picture.
Today I finished one of my term papers, which is a huge weight off of my shoulders. Just one more, then my story (in place of a regular paper for another class), then exams. 8 days until graduation, and then 3 exams to take. It's going to be fine... The paper I finished today was on Christianity in Ancient Rome, just after Christ's ascension through Constantine. I decided to start my paper with some background on who Christ was and why He would have been meaningless to the Roman Empire were it not for the mob demanding His death to Pilate. The charge they finally assigned to him was "King of the Jews," after Jesus finally assented to the title. What struck me while I was researching and writing was the sovereignty of God. Everything was so planned, so exact. Pilate's decision was based on the only thing that sounded like it could POSSIBLY be credible, Jesus' trial was filled with fake witnesses... and everything went according to plan. Everything, right down to exactly the way His body would fail Him so that He would die of a broken heart upon the cross, not asphyxiation like most victims. None of His bones were broken. Prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.
Why? Why would the Son of God leave heaven to come and die for me? For you? As I read the details of His sufferings I was struck afresh with my own utter and complete wickedness and the kindness and love of God. I'm overwhelmed, completely in awe. All I could do was cry and apologize to Him, again, over and over. But every time that happens, no matter how aware I am of my sin, I'm MORE aware of His love and forgiveness.
How kind is God???
No other religion is driven by this love. God calls us to love Him, as HE first loved US. That's incredible! We follow Jesus because we love Him, and He demonstrates His love for us daily, in ways that we may never see until we're with Him in heaven. He really HAS given us abundantly more than we could ask for or imagine. His love is unfathomable, but it's the most real thing in the universe. He loved us before time began, and nothing can take us out of His hand.
I pray that you're given a fresh view of how much God loves you. It's getting close to Christmas, when we celebrate God sending His son down to begin the lowly life that would lead Him to a criminal's death and the wrath of His Father. All to reconcile us to Him and bring glory to His Father. We're so blessed...
Happy Sunday.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
To Dad
I went to bed around 3:00 AM, and my Dad was still at work. He's always had to work long hours, because that's show business. It's not unusual for him to work 70-80 hour weeks. When there's a show (or several shows!) coming up, I'm usually the only one who really gets to see him because I'm the only one still awake by the time he gets home. Last night, he was doing freelance work, which means that it wasn't part of his regular job, he was earning extra money.
My Dad inspires me.
He's always worked this hard. He could have made lots of money if he'd chosen to light films in Hollywood. Instead, he followed God's leading into the ministry, where he makes less money and still works twice the amount of hours in a normal work week. He doesn't complain, he just does what needs to be done because "the show must go on."
I so appreciate that.
Show business runs in my family. My great-grandfather, on my Dad's side, was in the very first barbershop quartet, performing on radio shows and having celebrities like Eddie Cantor over for dinner. Dad got into the technical side of things, lighting films and shows with what is clearly a God-given talent. I've learned about lighting, and what precious little I know was very difficult for me to understand. It's second nature to Dad. He loves it. So it makes sense that he always understood my desire to act, and he was my biggest supporter. He and Mom made sure I understood how unreliable and difficult it would be to get into the business, but they always supported me. Now, God's leading me to pursue acting (my dream), opening a door that I thought He had closed. I don't remember when I caught the acting bug, but I've had it ever since I can remember. My first role was Baby Jesus, and then I was in a commercial for CBN at age 3. I do remember that instance, and I remember wanting to have a career in acting even at that young age. My parents always encouraged me.
I'm so grateful that they wanted me to have a career doing something I love, and sacrificed in order to help me pursue that dream. Mom and Dad fully support my being an actress, as well as encourage me to be a published author and history teacher (what a busy life that would be!). All three of those were my areas of study, and none of them are definite money-makers. Most parents don't encourage the acting thing, or anything else that isn't a known, reliable way to make money. That's never been the case in my family. Dad's always cultured me with movies of all kinds and shared his wealth of movie knowledge, and Mom participates/cheerleads. She didn't come from a movie-family, but she loves ours, even if she doesn't always understand us, hahaha.
I love you, Mom and Dad. Thanks for your love and support. I'm so grateful for you.
My Dad inspires me.
He's always worked this hard. He could have made lots of money if he'd chosen to light films in Hollywood. Instead, he followed God's leading into the ministry, where he makes less money and still works twice the amount of hours in a normal work week. He doesn't complain, he just does what needs to be done because "the show must go on."
I so appreciate that.
Show business runs in my family. My great-grandfather, on my Dad's side, was in the very first barbershop quartet, performing on radio shows and having celebrities like Eddie Cantor over for dinner. Dad got into the technical side of things, lighting films and shows with what is clearly a God-given talent. I've learned about lighting, and what precious little I know was very difficult for me to understand. It's second nature to Dad. He loves it. So it makes sense that he always understood my desire to act, and he was my biggest supporter. He and Mom made sure I understood how unreliable and difficult it would be to get into the business, but they always supported me. Now, God's leading me to pursue acting (my dream), opening a door that I thought He had closed. I don't remember when I caught the acting bug, but I've had it ever since I can remember. My first role was Baby Jesus, and then I was in a commercial for CBN at age 3. I do remember that instance, and I remember wanting to have a career in acting even at that young age. My parents always encouraged me.
I'm so grateful that they wanted me to have a career doing something I love, and sacrificed in order to help me pursue that dream. Mom and Dad fully support my being an actress, as well as encourage me to be a published author and history teacher (what a busy life that would be!). All three of those were my areas of study, and none of them are definite money-makers. Most parents don't encourage the acting thing, or anything else that isn't a known, reliable way to make money. That's never been the case in my family. Dad's always cultured me with movies of all kinds and shared his wealth of movie knowledge, and Mom participates/cheerleads. She didn't come from a movie-family, but she loves ours, even if she doesn't always understand us, hahaha.
I love you, Mom and Dad. Thanks for your love and support. I'm so grateful for you.
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