Fashion on Tuesday

For Tuesday, here's a few quick quotes on fashion, from sources ranging from Oscar Wilde to Coco Chanel!

I tried to sort them, I'm not sure how well that worked. 

Personal Fashion:

Fashion in Relation:

Time of Fashion:

Thursday: Recommendations

Hiya! 
Today, I'm gonna recommend a book to y'all. It's called Prepared. I'm not even finished with it, but I'm so enjoying it, and I wish the whole American church would read it. 

Here's an excerpt from what Amazon has to say:
"Marriage: redefined. Religious freedoms: eroding. The church: marginalized. How should we respond?
It’s time to prepare—prepare for a future none of us could have imagined just a few years ago. Paul Nyquist will help you understand and live faithfully in this new America, which is declining further and further into secularism and immorality, and so growing increasingly hostile toward Christianity."
It explains not only that persecution is coming (without all the fire-and-brimstone fear that so many use to predict the hard times ahead) but also a Biblical perspective on this persecution. 
I would completely recommend this to you. I rented it from the library, so if you don't want to commit and buy it, try that!
happy almost (well, actually now truly) friday.
charlie
ps. I just found out my application for the creative writing concentration is due in a week. #lol

Wednesday: In the Gap- Dance

Well,  I certainly am "in the gap" with dance, though in a different way from when I started these posts. See, I told you in a previous post about my decision to drop my dance minor. That has stood since I've been at school, and it has been a blessing in so many ways. 
I've gotten to have slow mornings—a few hours to get ready, have a quiet time, do some homework, maybe go to breakfast with a friend—which is something I've never done before. For the first few weeks of school I'd work out in the morning too, but recently that hasn't been much of an option. 
See, I had my foot surgery again on August 27th, so I've been in physical therapy for the last few weeks. My physical therapist is kind and knowledgeable and I'm so thankful. Honestly I don't mind physical therapy much; I think it's because I'm not the hardcore-workout type, more the go-on-a-walk workout type, so I'm not mad that I only get to do petty stuff. Also, I know it's not really petty, which makes it easier to do. 
But back to dance. So the only dancing I've been doing is with Grace, a dance ministry I'm involved in on campus. I'm on leadership team, which means I teach classes and help plan our show. This has been amazing; through it I've been able to see God redeem dance for me. It's time I still get to engage in dance, but the time is 100% not about me. I give a devo, and I've loved the platform to get to, as I love to say, "talk about Christ." Yes, I love to say it, but it's so cool how Grace give me the opportunity to actually do it. So there's where I am right now. Planning for worship night and spring show are coming up . . . hooray!!

pc to ally hathcock: http://alyhathcock.com/photography-portfolio/action-photography/#jp-carousel-1038

Saturday Summary

This week's Saturday summary will consist of two pictures, because that's about the best I have right now.

The first one is from last Sunday, which was bid day! Crazy story, I know. So I went through recruitment, and got my first choice (second try:), and pledged! Here's a picture of our first meeting:

The second picture is from the farmer's market this morning. I took my parents for the first time, and we were crazy and got a crepe! Hooray! I've never gotten one before, so that was fun. And it's been a blast to have them here, but I have a test and a story due Monday, so right now it's not very fun. But that's okay! 

Here's hoping tomorrow is productive. Have a great week! Keep enjoying #trendyseptemby! 

Maddie/Charlie 

(I think I need to turn Charlie on strong this next day or two to crank out my story due in fiction on Monday...heLpp)

Sabbath Ponderings: Children's Church

     I've been in church since before I could walk. Well, if you want to get specific about it, I've been in church since before I was born. I grew up going to kids church every week, where I learned Bible stories and life lessons. This was on the whole hugely beneficial, but there are a few mindsets I learned from it which I've noticed affecting me unhealthily as I've grown up.

I don't mean to blame my church or my Sunday school teachers. This post isn't a pointed criticism of my childhood church; it's a criticism of what many churches today teach their children that they don't realize is harmful.

     Sunday schools try to get children involved in the Bible in any way they can. Teachers plaster classrooms with posters of stories and verses, pick games with costumes and props, and plan crafts to be taken home along with a sheet of verses. The enthusiasm continues up through middle school, where snacks have usually graduated from graham crackers and water (dipped in the water, of course. no? just my church? okay sorry ew gross) to donuts, and students are asked to bring their Bible every Sunday. By high school, usually Sunday mornings only involve teaching, which prepares the student for graduation to "big church." As I look back on my progression through these stages, I don't want to criticize the system. Teaching children about God is important, and teachers must find engaging ways to do this. I only wish to point out two specific practices that I have, looking back, noticed to be harmful.

     The first thing is "Bible Swords." Already sounds great, right? Edifying, and all that stuff! Anyway, maybe you haven't played it under this title, but it's a game where kids compete to find a certain scripture verse in the Bible. Whoever finds it the fastest wins. What sort of game is this? Of course, it's supposed to motivate kids to . . . what? Be able to find things quickly in their Bible? Since when is speed helpful in a quiet time? When you get to Big Church, does the adult who finds the verse quickest get to stand up at a microphone and read it for the pastor? Do people in heaven get to sit closer to Jesus if they can find the Psalm quickly when the head angel calls it out?

     My guess would be that whoever came up with this game plays it in hopes that the students will want to be able to find things in their Bible quickly, and so will spend more time in their Bible during the week. I'm here to tell you: it doesn't work.

     Wrong motivations seldom lead to right habits. If the objective is to be able to find things quickly in their Bible, children will be more likely to buy tabs that have each book of the Bible than to spend an allotted amount of time every other day of the week flipping around their Bible. A game played for ten minutes once a week is not enough reason to spend 10 minutes every other day of the week reading the Bible (or, more likely, flipping to each book for practice). And how would a child even know that the true objective was to read the Bible, if the game's objective was not reading the Bible, but mining it?

     The other hope of a Sunday school teacher who encourages this game is perhaps to praise young students who are reading their Bible regularly at home and reward them by letting them beat their classmates. What sort of reward is that? Since when is time with God a competition? If we encourage young students to read their Bible by letting them beat other students who are not reading their Bible, what does this teach? That when we read our Bible, we "win" against other Christians. That when we read our Bible, we are better than other students who don't. This game, rather than encouraging young Christians to seek God through Scripture for renewal and fulfillment, teaches them to seek Scripture for church fame, for points on the "good Christians" board.

     The reason I write about this game is because I played it when I was little, and now—yes, even now, as a nineteen-year-old girl—when I flip through my Bible around other people, I compare my speed to theirs. Now, before you try to tell me, I'll tell you: That is pathetic. I don't want to attribute this completely to church—I know that some of it is alllllll me (yay me). But I do want to draw attention to the game, in case any of you (imaginary readers) happen to teach middle school Sunday school, so that you can avoid it. Do you want to encourage your kids to read their Bible at home? Then encourage your kids to read their Bible at home! With actual words! "Hey! Have you read James? You should totally read it this week—it's not too long—and we can talk about it next week together!" Want to encourage the kids who are already reading their Bible at home? Then encourage the kids who are already reading their Bibles at home! Ask them about it; let them share with you what they're learning, and tell them what you're learning!

     And do you see what that would do? They would shift the focus from the student and put it on the Word. They put the student in a situation where they are speaking about Christ, which prepares them for the rest of their Christian life of sharing with others what the Lord is teaching them. It gets them comfortable with talking about Scripture and tells them that it is important to read Scripture.

     The other thing I have a problem with is having kids memorize Scripture for candy or reward. I mean, what!? Really, yeah, not a good idea. ok. glad we agreed that's ridiculous. again with the mixed motives stuff. and with the messing up their mind for a long time stuff. is scripture not enough reward in itself? come on.

     

Thursday Recommendation: Birmingham Coffee Shops

Rank. Name. Favorites. 

No opinions, cause if I start, I'll never stop. 

1. Red Cat

Any latte, caramel apple bar, chocolate chip cookie, scones. turkey Gouda panini, chicken salad. 

2. Octane

classic mohca or hot chocolate. bacon chive cheese scone. whoopie pie. 

3. Urban Standard 

chicken panino sandwich. Reuben. 

4. O'Henry's

any drink, any dessert. Chocolate layer cake, turtle bar, everything. 

5. Church Street 

break up cookie, peanut buddy, cocoa chip cookie, treehugger 

6. Seeds

Banana espresso chocolate chip muffin
7. Lucy's
ghirardelli hot chocolate

other shops:
Revelator, The Abbey, The Neighborhood Brew, East 59 Vintage and Cafe