What accent do you have?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The South
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

My last couple of posts have been more serious, thinking posts so today I thought I'd throw in a fun one. I took the quiz to find out what American accent I had and I wasn't too suprised. Now my Hungaian accent, that's another story! So, what accent do you have?

Quotes - Continued

Yesterday I mentioned how I write down quotes in a notebook so I can review them from time to time. Well, the quote I shared yesterday was not the one that I pulled the book off the shelf to look at, though it is probably one of the most influential quotes in my book in regard to my life's choices.

The quote that I was thinking about yesterday when I started to read through my quote book was this:

"We want to experience the power of God,

but we are unwilling to pay the price of conviction."

I heard someone use this quote in a sermon and I don't remember where it is originally from. I started thinking about this quote as I was reading a story about someone who God tested and tried repeatedly but who came through those trials to become a great man of God. It also made me think of David and the years after he was anointed that he spent on the run from Saul. Specifically, I thought of how when he stood over Saul in the cave and cut off a piece of his robe because he could not, would not, kill the Lord's anointed. That meant more running, when I'm sure he was ready for the constant hiding, fighting and running to end. David had to pay the price for his conviction. Yet, those experiences were what made him into the man God wanted him to become and through it all he was able to see firsthand the power of God working in and through his life.

So then I also started thinking about myself. I do want to experience the power of God in my life. I want to see Him do great and mighty things to glorify His name and bring people into relationship with Him. And that means that I have to be prepared to pay the price. Even as Christ himself paid the high price that it cost to bring us into a relationship where we are now called sons of the living God.

Paul says it best, "I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like Him in his death." Philippians 3:10 It all goes together, the experiencing God and paying the price.

Quotes

I enjoy reading and I generally gravitate toward Christian fiction and fantasy. A lot of people prefer to read biographies and topical books but I find that God often teaches me in the form of a story.

Years ago when I was reading the books about Father Tim (Mitford Series), I fell in love with the idea of keeping a book of quotes that have impacted my life. Every now and then I’ll sit down and reread these quotes, remembering what God was teaching me at the time and very often re-learning and being re-impacted by the wisdom that I find there.

Today I was reading in my quote book and I was drawn back to a quote that I think has probably been one of the greatest reminders and catalysts in my life. It is the essence of Jesus in the garden praying, not my will, but Thine be done. It is Abraham laying Isaac on the alter, not wanting to kill his son but motivated by a deeper desire to serve His Lord. The specific impact came because I found the quote in the middle of a story that I related to at a time that I heard it. I’d like to share it with you.

“God!” he cried, “I thought I knew you and sought your will. And now I am ashamed before you. I cannot even pray. But hear my deepest will in me. Hear the prayer I cannot offer. Be my perfect Father to fulfill the imperfection of your child. You know me a thousand times better than I know myself – hear me and save me. Make me strong to yield to you. And therefore, even while my heart hangs back, I force my mouth to say the words – Take from me what you will, only make me clean and pure.”

“Thus he prayed, with a reluctant heart, forcing its will by the might of a deeper will that would be for God and freedom, in spite of the cleaving of his soul to the dust.”*

You can use the comments link or e-mail me if you’d like to share any quotes that have been impacting in your life.

*George MacDonald, The Laird’s Inheritance

Journey, an update 5-24-07

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.” 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

I was listening to the radio on the internet not long ago and I heard a song by Ayiesha Woods called “Big Enough.” The lyrics made me stop and think. She sang, “I don’t want to box you in, you’ve been doing great things since the world began, sometimes I just don’t understand, that you’re big enough….”

And that’s why we must give thanks and remember the wonders that He has done, both the wonders we read of in the Scriptures and the amazing things He has done in our own lives. If we remember what He has done, then we’re not so tempted to bring God down to our own level, to try to put the King of the Universe in our own little boxes. He IS big enough to accomplish all that He has promised. He IS big enough to change lives and to turn the course of nations. Glory in His name! He has been doing great things since the world began and He will continue to work out His plans in me and in you.

Journey, an update 5-9-07

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary…” Isaiah 40:28a
“He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber” Psalm 121:3


It seems like life has been especially challenging lately both for me and for several of my close friends. Today I was reflecting on these verses. Even though I get tired and weary the LORD never does. He is always there to give strength and to enable me to persevere. I can lie down and sleep in safety. I can allow my soul to rest in His care because He never slumbers or ceases to watch over me. What a beautiful truth.

Writing and Language Learning

a comparative "Thought for the Day"

I enjoy reading blogs by some of my favorite authors. Today I was reading a post by Karen Hancock and I enjoyed her comments on quotes from the book, "Writing without Teachers" by Peter Elbow. You can read her post here.

As I had just arrived home from my language classes I found myself relating to parts of the same quotes in a different way. The portion of the quotes that stood out to me are below.

"Many people are constantly thinking about spelling and grammar as they try to write. I am always thinking about awkwardness, wordiness, and the general mushiness of my natural verbal product as I try to write down words.

But it's not just "mistakes" or "bad writing" we edit as we write. We also edit unacceptable thoughts and feelings, as we do in speaking. In writing there is more time to do it so the editing is heavier: when speaking there's someone right there waiting for a reply and he'll get bored or think we're crazy if we don't come out with something. Most of the time in speaking, we settle for the catch-as-catch-can way in which the words tumble out. In writing, however, there's a chance to try to get them right. But the opportunity to get them right is a terrible burden: you can work for two hours trying to get a paragraph "right" and discover it's not right at all. And then give up."

"Editing, in itself, is not the problem. Editing is usually necessary if we want to end up with something satisfactory. The problem is that editing goes on at the same time as producing. The editor is, as it were, constantly looking over the shoulder of the producer and constantly fiddling with what he's doing while he's in the middle of trying to do it. No wonder the producer gets nervous, jumpy, inhibited, and finally can't be coherent. It's an unnecessary burden to try to think of words and also worry at the same time whether they're the right words."

Hmm....it sounds like a very articulate description of my struggle with speaking Hungarian. I'm always trying to edit at the same time that I am trying to produce the sentence and it DOES most often leave people bored or with the impression that I simply have nothing to say. (Most people give me the benefit of the doubt about being crazy, thankfully).

Journey, an update 4-27-07

“I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again….” Romans 15:14-15a

Last update I wrote on 2 Peter 1:12 about being reminded. This week as I finished up my study of Romans the thought was reinforced by these verses. It is good to be drawn back to the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God in a new and deeper way.

The conference was also a wonderful reinforcement of this. It was a beautiful reminder of my calling and God’s faithfulness. It was also a great encouragement to hear about how He is working all over to draw the nations to himself.

During the conference we had practical discussion and teaching sessions as well as times of sharing, prayer and instruction in the Word. One speaker spoke on Lost Visions and how God rekindles them. The other speaker did a series on Sacrifice and Substitution. I was challenged in several ways. One quote that particularly challenged me was, “Cost is a relative term based on the value of the object obtained.” What cost compares to the value of lives brought from death to eternal life?