City of Ember

I had never heard of the children’s novel “The City of Ember,” by author, Jeanne Duprau. But my online search for a PG movie suitable for viewing by my 7th and 8th grade Sunday school department brought the flick to the forefront.

So…Saturday morning the 18th at 10:00 am we loaded the eight kids that showed up and four adult sponsors into the church van and headed for the mall. We pretty much had our own private screening as not many are up for movie watching early Saturday morning. We chose the early time because the price is reduced to $5.00 before noon on Saturday.

The movie takes place after the world becomes uninhabitable because of…what, I don’t know? I didn’t catch that part. The “builders” have designed an underground city, powered by a giant generator and lit by floodlights. Storerooms are stocked to sustain the people for 200 years. A box containing instructions for escaping from the city is to be passed down from mayor to mayor. After one mayor dies unexpectedly, the box and plans are stored away and forgotten. Two hundred fifty years have passed and the storerooms are becoming depleted.

The residents of the city have never known sunlight or life above ground. When the generator begins failing, leaving the city in total darkness, two teens begin to worry and investigate an escape. Their adventure reveals that the current mayor is corrupt and also that an enormous frightening mole is on the loose in the city’s pipe works. (I’m told the mole didn’t exist in the novel). Nevertheless, the teens go on to save the day and the city.

The movie is called “City of Ember” because—well I don’t know that either. I’m not even sure if that was mentioned in the movie. I guess I should have read the book. Here’s a quote from one eighth grader.

“The book was boring, and the movie was even worse.” Kyle (He’s in 8th grade, what can I say?)

The movie includes high magnitude stars such as Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Mary Kay Place, and Martin Landau. The female lead is played by Saoirse Ronan who did a wonderful portrayal of Lena Mayfleet, the main character. And the little girl twins that played her baby sister, Poppy, were absolutely adorable.

I thought the movie was mildly entertaining and I must admit I jumped at least twice during the mole scenes. Would I watch it again? Probably not if I had to pay to see it, but if it came on television, sure why not. Was it family friendly? Yes, although I think little children would be frightened by the mole. My rating: Eh, it’s okay.

Autumn Is

Amber, gold, orange, yellow, red and brown; leaves break free for one final flight

Uber-gigantic pumpkins plump, ripe and ready for funny fancy carved faces
Thanksgiving, turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie and parades; thankful for another good year

Unanimous agreement—summer was hot! Soon cooler weather draws near
Marching bands, football season, fall festivals, scary costumes, candy galore
National decision, casting votes, choosing sides, elephants, donkeys; Election Day is here

Reflection

September 1, 2008, Labor Day, a day to reflect on the end of the short summer and the long school year that lies ahead. On August 25th Connor started his first day of second grade. Casey began her sophomore year. And Patrick became a full fledged senior.

That Monday morning Patrick and Casey left for school at 6:45; Connor doesn’t even wake up until 7:00. After dropping Connor off at 8:00 I returned home to get ready for my back to school lunch date. On the first day of school, a group of ladies go out for a nice lunch. For some it’s a celebration; for others it’s a support group. For me it was both. I celebrated Connor’s return to school. I mourned what my precious Casey will be introduced to in the year ahead. And I began to cry as I tried to tell a friend where Patrick is thinking about going to college.

Thursday night we attended our first football game. My dad and I traveled from Porter to the opposite side of Houston to see the game. If you’ve ever driven across Houston you can appreciate how far that really is. My dad was impressed by how well our team fared in its new 5A district. Personally, I barely even watch the game—I’m a band mom.

When halftime arrived, I left the safety of the visitor side and hiked over into enemy territory. It’s the only way to see the band march without having to watch their backsides. I got to see my Casey march for the first time as she had successfully earned herself a marching spot. I watched as Patrick nobly sidestepped across the field, trumpet held at attention. It was my second time to cry this school year.

The class of 2009 will always hold a special place in my heart. It marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new and exciting life for my son. Nevertheless I look forward to what will be a painful and difficult time in my own life as I learn to let go and let God. With that said I close my laptop and grab a tissue as I begin to cry for the third time this school year.

Addendum: on a lighter note, week one of school is passed and Connor has only been reprimanded once for talking in the hall. Here’s how the conversation went…

Connor: Mom, I made a mistake at school today.
Me: Oh?
Connor: Yeah, I was accidentally talking in the hall, so I got a note.
Me: What kind of note?
Connor: I had to write what I did wrong TWO TIMES! And sign it. You have to sign it too.
Me: Well, did you learn your lesson? Do you know why you had to write the note?
Connor: Yes, I understand completely. The reason they make you write the note is so that you will be severely humiliated and you won’t do it again.
Me: (Cracking up) well, are you sufficiently humiliated?
Connor: Yeah, I guess so.
Me: Good…don’t do it again.

I Was A 44 Year Old Bridesmaid

It sounds like the title of a horror movie. And (gasp), I’m playing the leading role! Being married, I suppose my official title is Matron of Honor. Sounds important right? In reality, all it means is I’m old enough to have a 46 year old husband, two teenagers and a seven year old to make fun of me in the little strappy number I’ll be wearing. Even if I will be the fattest of the four, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing I’m not the oldest maid in the bunch—yeah, you know who you are.

Okay, picture this; I walk into the bridal store with my girlfriend and one of the other bridesmaids. We’re greeted by someone we’ll call Lola, a wedding coordinator. Queue the flashback scene music. Doo doo doo; doo doo doo…

Amy (The bride): we’re here to pick out bridesmaids dresses.
Me: Don’t forget to tell her we’re old and fat.
Lola: (Laughs) All right Amy, what color is your dress, white, ivory, cream, or something else?
Amy: Well, I haven’t picked out my dress yet.
Lola: And…when did you say you were getting married?
Amy: October.
Lola: (Wildly fanning herself) Oh Lawd! (Picks up telephone and presses speaker button) Paging Miss Shania, please come to the front of the store. We have a code red at the welcome desk.
Enter Miss Shania…a short stocky middle aged wedding coordinator.
Lola: Miss Shania, I need you to help these ladies out while I take Miss Amy to pick out a wedding dress.
Miss Shania: Well, certainly ladies, step right this way.
AND THEN IT HAPPENED! MISS SHANIA LOOKS STRAIGHT AT ME AND SAYS.
And you’re the mother of the bride?

In the past, people have always said I look much younger than I really am. But apparently to Miss Shania, I look like I could mother a 34 year old woman. I don’t know what came over me. I couldn’t make my finger stop wagging in her face. I looked over at my “older” friend who was snickering uncontrollably. Well, for the rest of the day I was Miss Shania’s “best friend”. And for some reason, in Miss Shania’s opinion, every dress I tried on from that point on was absolutely gorgeous on me.

Just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, my body decided to betray me and go into personal summer mode—I’m talking Sahara Desert caliber hot flash. The sweat fountain opened up and my face was brighter than the “red apple” color dress I was trying on.

You know, when God created the institution of marriage He never intended for us to be consumed with bridesmaids dresses, controlling mother’s (not me), or what flavor the groom’s cake should be. Sure God wants us to celebrate the union of two people, but it’s never been God’s plan that we worry about these things. After all, it was at a wedding that Christ performed His first miracle. And thank goodness, He’s still in the miracle business, because it’s definitely going to take one to get me through this wedding. Do you think I’m being repaid for the mauve dresses I made the girls wear in my wedding?

Question: How can you tell whether it’s a first time marriage or not?
Answer: The combined total of children belonging to the wedding party alone is more than sixteen!

Conflict Will Come—And When It Does…

When our church revealed its plan to institute a building campaign I was overjoyed. The thought of worshiping in a real sanctuary with pews and carpet instead of a straight chair on a hardwood gym floor stirred images of pious splendor. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that some in our congregation would oppose building a new sanctuary. But conflict, I would soon find out, is a fact of life.

In the article, “The Hurting Church: Why we get hurt and hurt others in church,” Gail Rodgers states, “More and more often we find people and leaders in conflict within the body of believers, robbed of the joy Jesus promised in Him. When we find this hurt hanging on to our own bruised soul, it can make us want to leave the church and sometimes even want to “back burner” our God who seems to have allowed it all.” According to Rodgers, there are five steps to conflict resolution, all of which are based on a framework of God’s love.
Step 1: Know your enemy – When in conflict with another believer, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Am I wrestling against flesh and blood?” The answer in these situations is usually yes, but we must never forget, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers…” (Ephesians 6:12). Scripture tells us to “be alert”, “resist the enemy” (1Peter 5:8-9) be on your guard and “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). So when irritation strikes…know immediately who your opponent is…know immediately he has schemes and plans in place that will at best steal from you and at worst destroy God’s people and their effectiveness. In addition to being alert we must keep praying, (Ephesians 6:18). When prayer is no longer the oxygen of our spiritual soul or the heartbeat of our church, our defense is down.
Step 2: Keep short accounts – The simple truth of the Word of God in the instruction from Paul to “not let the sun go down on your anger” is so profoundly elementary that we miss it. Scripture tells us “a root of bitterness springs up and defiles many” (Hebrews 12:15). When it finally spills out, or spits up, it defiles us and those around, and hurt is the result. That is why Proverbs 4:23 tells us “above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life.” It is the very source of all we are. The trademark that identifies us as His disciples vanishes and the world looking on can see no difference in us. Be alert of the seed you allow in your heart. They all produce fruit of one kind or another. List the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, (Galatians 5:22). Ask yourself, “What fruit of the Spirit is in short supply in my life right now?”
Step 3: Don’t be afraid of accountability – In any given troubling situation we need to honestly ask ourselves, “Am I making choices that allow God to be in control here or am I taking control?” Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the Lord with your whole heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” If your own understanding is resulting in opinions and actions that bring division, be accountable for what is going on in your own heart. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked (selfish) ways, then I will heal their land” (their church, their heart). It’s a sure promise!
Step 4: Acknowledge pride – Scripture says, “God resists, or opposes, the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride is a killer. It is one of the subtlest tools of the enemy. God actually resists the proud. The simple question to ask before opening your mouth is: “Will this lift Jesus higher or will this lift me higher?”
Step 5: Be willing to plant stakes in the ground – You must ask yourself: “Am I willing to acknowledge my part and take steps to prevent a repeat?” James 3:13-17 talks about two kinds of wisdom, one, which does not come from heaven, and one that does. The one not based on heavenly values is centered on earthly, unspiritual values with envy and selfish ambition at the core. Not hard to spot…the trademark of love will be missing as well. The wisdom based on heavenly values will be pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
We have all heard stories of church congregations splitting over something as trivial as the color of the carpeting or the old hymns versus praise chorus issue. I consider our own fellowship exceedingly blessed, having completed a major building campaign with only the most minor amount of opposition. Taking godly steps for conflict resolution, faithfully bathing every situation in prayer and coating it with God’s love is ultimately the answer for most every church conflict.
Source: http://christianwomentoday.com/training/hurtingchurch.html

Book Review-Night Light, by: Guest Blogger Casey O'Hare

This week on Annette’s blog: Guest blogger steals the show! No I’m just kidding. Mom asked me to write a guest book review for the sequel to Last Light by Terri Blackstock. I’ve only had to write a review once before, and that was for Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I wouldn’t recommend that book. But let’s see how I fare in this one… I give you: Night Light
May 24, a day that will live in infamy (couldn’t resist). Cars stopped working, cell phones died, and planes fell out of the sky. But these seemed the least of problems for the Brannings as they cope with the loss of their most prized possession: electricity.
Several weeks into the outage, the murderer has been caught, preparations for a well are underway, and the mayor of Crockett, Alabama has shown up at the gates of the Oak Hollow subdivision with some very good, and some very bad news. The source of the outage has been discovered. In 1999 a star supernova occurred and the radiation caused by the event is just now reaching Earth. The rays shouldn’t be harmful to humans, but the government just isn’t sure. Mail is being delivered, FEMA is handing out disbursements of $25 to every citizen in America, and we all know what happened when they gave the Katrina survivors the $2000 cards. Oh yeah, and the draft is being reconstituted, only they aren’t looking for soldiers, but for mechanics.
While the meeting is going on, a small band of thieves, that would make the cast of "Oliver" jealous, try to break into the Brannings’ home. They make off with a few items, but not before son, Jeff can chase them to the Sandwood Place Apartments. The thieves are four small children living alone since their mother, Jessie Gatlin, disappeared. Finding the compassion in their hearts, Kay and Doug decide to take Aaron, Joey, Luke and Sarah back home till they can either find their mother, or a more suitable relative.
Things go downhill when they find yet another body, Jessie Gatlin’s, and the search for a different killer comes about. Eyes turn to Aaron when he keeps pulling guns out of nowhere. The thrill never ends in the exciting sequel: Night Light.

Vacation Bible School 2008

It’s been one week since Vacation Bible School. My job is grade school crafts. It takes me about a week to recover from the week. I don’t know what it is that makes VBS week so tiring. I guess it could have something to do with the 300 plus kids in attendance.

I so look forward to VBS every year. I guess because I didn’t get to go that much as a kid. At least not when I was old enough to remember it. The one year I do remember going to VBS, we made treasure boxes. It was probably around 1973 or 75. We were given a cigar box, pieces of macaroni and glue. The idea was to glue the macaroni to the cigar box. The next day when the glue was dry the leaders spray painted the boxes with silver paint.

I’m sure there was a wonderful lesson from the Bible that coincided with making the treasure boxes. Maybe something like this one:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:19-20

I really don’t remember the story, but I do remember that shiny silver macaroni covered box that was, I’m sure, eventually thrown in the garbage. I also remember giving my heart to Jesus around that same time—coincidence? I don’t know. One thing I do know is that fourteen kids made professions of faith in Jesus Christ this year in VBS. And that’s a treasure worth taking to the bank.

Here’s a link to a slideshow of our 2008 VBS:

http://blip.tv/file/1037064