Two of my favorite modern instrumental artists in the world just collaborated to make one of the most epic music videos I think I have seen in my life, ever.

Like Butter Scraped Across Too Much Bread

This, my precious, is the definition of epic:



My only complaint? It doesn't need to be split into three two and a half hour movies. Just no.

"If you had the chance to change your fate...would you?"

Scotland. Forests. Dresses. Archery. Horses. Freedom.

ALL combined into a single film.

What could be better?

I have no words.

But the NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR EXPOSITORY SPEAKING.....has some pretty good ones.

That's right folks. I'm proud to say I'm related to this kid, who WON NATIONALS, who is pretty much one of the most awesome brothers ever, and has, to my knowledge, given the state of Washington its first ever speech-championship title in the hall of fame.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present to you The Art of Storytelling.

That's Right.

My brother's humorous interpretation of the math textbook "The Life of Fred" is FEATURED ON THE LIFE OF FRED WEBSITE.

Check it out.

I'm so proud of this kid. Right now he's competing at Speech & Debate Nationals, with his epic debate analogies and wicked amazing expository speech. As are my beloved club members. So missing them right now.

Update (4/8): LE BROTHER IS IN SEMIS AT NATIONALS. :)

UPDATE (4/9): FINALS FINALS FINALS OH MY GOODNESS RAYMOND IS IN FINALS.

"That's what makes it an adventure."

Last week, I went into the library to pick up a book that was on hold.

I was particularly excited about this book, because I had heard good things about it.

To my surprise (and slight dismay, for I have little spare time on my hands) the book was over 4 inches thick.

There's no way I'm going to have time to read this.

But as I let it fall open in my hands, I saw pictures.

Pictures. Hundreds and hundreds of pictures.

YES. The whole book is in PICTURES!!!

It is quite possibly one of the most brilliant books I have read this year.

The writing and storyline themselves are not the most genius: after all my SAT studying I found myself rewording sentences every now and then. But there are a couple very beautiful, very powerful moments in it.

AND THERE'S A MOVIE. Which is...AWESOME. Brilliant, wonderful, beautiful book-to-movie adaptation.



My favorite quote in the entire book is quite possibly the main reason I love this so much.

"Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason?" he asked Isabelle.

"They are built to make you laugh, like the [windup] mouse here, or to tell the time, like clocks, or to fill you with wonder, like the automaton. Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do. "

"Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken.

"Sometimes I come up here at night...just to look at the city. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too."

*happy sigh*

Today I spent 4 hours chasing, teaching, shushing, running, and shouting with 35 kids at VBS.

It was exhausting. And so, so, so much fun.

Then I came home and taught/practiced music for 4 hours.

My brain is a little fried, and I'm what I call "drunk on too much music and lots of kids...with a little chocolate" (happy kind of woozy I'm-going-crazy-feeling) (have you ever seen me when I can't stop laughing for no reason at all? Yeah, that kind of thing. It's jolly fun. )

But I feel wonderfully full and surprisingly not dead tired.

There's something invigorating about always giving. It's like...when your goal is to just love on those kids as much as possible and help them to understand the glorious beauty of what you have to teach them...it's like God just keeps giving you more energy.

It's cool.

Controlling God.

{Part 1-ish of 2 posts that are somewhat related.}

When I first went to school - like, real school...as in Very Much Not Homeschool - one of the things all my teachers always wrote on their little end-of-quarter-evaluations was something along the lines of, "Hannah is very inquisitive, and likes to ask questions. She needs to be careful that her questions aren't disrespectful."

Yeah, I liked to know the "why" of a lot of things. But teachers in school aren't your mother, and you can't ask them "why" like you can at home. ;P

Nevertheless, I learned how to think deeply - and how to question what was important.

I like to have things explained to me, and I like to explain things to people.

But here's my reading from the other day. (Oswald Chambers) (yeah, I love this guy.)

There is nothing miraculous or mysterious about the things we can explain. We control what we are able to explain, consequently it is only natural to seek an explanation for everything.

I'm a firstborn, and I like to be in control. I like to know I've got a grip on the situation at hand. (But then again, who doesn't? Whether it's a dominating control or otherwise, we like to feel we have a grip on what's going on. Lack of control gives us a lack of self-worth. Or so we think.)

But think about it it - when we can explain it, the mystery goes away. It's not confusing, and now we have a firm hold of it. We now have this little tidbit of information that we somehow think we can use to our advantage to make us feel as if we have more control than someone else.

And what about God?

See, that's the beauty of it.

God....cannot be explained. He cannot be understood. The very nature and vastness of God Himself cannot be contained within my infinite understanding. It's like trying to fit the ocean in a cup. You just can't do it.

I think sometimes, I'm so afraid of not knowing what's going on and being able to explain everything that I just give up all together.

I mean, I can't fully understand everything, so why bother? It's easy for me to fall into the trap of, "I'm not going to embarrass myself by showing how little I know, so why even try learning more?"

But as Michael Apted said (oh shame that I'm quoting him, he ruined the Narnia franchise, why should he be a decent person at ALL?!) (that was sarcastic by the way) (now that I've ruined the quote fluidity of the quote I guess I'll have to start over)

The only way to stay young is to keep learning.

And how true is that, really? Life is boring when you're not learning anything - it's dull, purposeless, fruitless. This life is so exciting, nothing should stop me from seeking to know more about my God and Savior.

Just soak in the beauty of Proverbs 4

Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

LIVE. You know that word, "live" - (not the long i, the short i) To live is so much more than to just be alive. You're not really alive unless you're learning and growing, thinking, and searching.

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

I'll never fully understand God - if God was understandable, I'd stop reaching for Him once I got there. I'd become prideful.

If I could understand God, I'd be the stronger one. I could be in control because I could explain it.

What would God be if we could control Him? See, that's the beauty of who God is.

Unfathomable. Infinite. Awesome. Wonderful.

The coolest part is, He loves me. And He wants me to know Him. Personally.

This uncontrollable, vast, magnificent, unimaginable God - I can't understand Him, but He knows every detail about me.

And I mean, that's what faith is, right? What would faith be if we could understand and have it all under our control?

Romans 8:24 - but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?

Why would I want to put my trust in something I was in control over? That's putting trust in myself - someone who is weak - rather than Christ, who is strong.

Think about that beauty - that we can rest in a God who is Greater.

This is what I do in debate.

We're nerds, asians, debaters, and we've been at speech camp all week pretending to act mature under the cleverly disguised title of "super-varsity." What can we say?

Check it out on Shorty & Shrimpy's blog. :D

My little brother is cuter than yours.

During Bible reading this morning...

Mom: If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
John-Luke: What happens if you run out of clothes?

Mom: whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
John-Luke: Does that mean when you punch someone, you should always punch them twice?

Translation

Sorry for the lack of blog updates that span more than 3 inches of page. (or perhaps you like short blog updates, reader?) Life is sort of up and down and crazy.

Someone translated my Aslan's Meditations Devotional into Brazilian Portuguese, right HERE. Isn't that just really neat? I stuck it all into google translate, and while it sounded sort of like someone who didn't know english very well, it was the same idea, and I thought that was SO. COOL.

Oh, languages fascinate me!

I should not be this easily entertained.

But you know I am anyway.

Remember this post and this post? I am here to present you with another PURPLE FOOD!!

It's a Chinese purple yam pastry. And it's soooooooo good. (:

In other news, Dawn Treader was AMAZING. And it is also SNOWING outside. That's right. Snow, in Seattle, in November, sticking on the ground. In fact, as I speak, there are extremely large flakes coming down at a very fast pace. ::grin:: I went dancing about the house today and then for a romp in the snow with my dog. No co-op! And I leave for my grandma's house tomorrow.

Life is good! [=

Fight Another Day

Last Friday evening I had the opportunity to go see Tenth Avenue North in concert for their "Light Meets Dark" tour.

This was sort of a...I really don't know. Little sparkle in life. And a very bright one at that. I don't get to do these things too often - in fact, I've never been to a non-classical/piano/symphony concert before in my life. (there's a homeschooler for ya) It was a totally new experience but a totally amazing one. I can't seem to get it out of my mind.

Part of it is the total amazingness of being in the same room with Addison Road and Tenth Avenue North...the hubbub of people everywhere...the massive amounts of lights and fog machines...the total excitement/awe/noise of first-time-at-a-concert.

That was all I was expecting to come away with - but there was more, and it was....amazing.

Mike Donehey is the lead singer for Tenth Ave - and he is a phenomenal speaker. I've said to quite a few people if he was a pastor, I would totally go to his church. He gave a short little message before they all came on...wow. Maybe it was just that I haven't heard anything like that for what feels like forever, and it was so powerful.

He talked about our how God accepts us in our brokenness, shame, and pain...and how great, awesome, and infinite His grace is that covers us despite our failures. How can we not live our lives for Christ in light of the sacrifice He made for us? His grace makes us new, it lifts us up and changes us from the inside out.

Agh. Right now, I really don't have words to say anything else about it. It was just...really, really good and I haven't had that in a long time. We'll cut to the pictures. =P

Super excited for our first concert!!!


Chris August opened up the concert - he was so funny. And he sang "Starry Night". I love that song. (go look it up.)


This is Addison Road. You can't really tell. =P But it is, I promise. That's Jenny Simmons, the lead singer, in the blue shirt under the green light. ;) I was super excited when I heard they were touring with Tenth Ave, and it was awesome to get to see them. Favorites among their songs: Hope Now, Sticking With You, Collide, Fight Another Day....


:D :D :D :D

Tenth Ave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The worship was SO amazing. Especially on "Satisfy". If you haven't heard that song, you need to. Actually, if you haven't listened to Tenth Ave. at all, you need to. Their music is so powerful and so open. One thing I loved about it when Mike was speaking was how he saw himself as no different than any other person out there.



Okay.

Favorite Tenth Ave. songs that you MUST listen to.

You Are More (this music video is powerful. If you listen to none of the others, listen to this one.)
Strong Enough to Save
All the Pretty Things
Any Other Way
Empty My Hands
Satisfy
Break Me Down

Well. That took just about everything in me not to post the entirety of both of their AMAZING albums. So. Go listen to it. I don't think it's often that I so highly recommend music.

And so this post ends. Without grace or inspiration or anything super nice sounding because I'm completely out of it right now. I'll let the music do that. :)

Coming soon...

...to a DVD near you!!!

Brand new DELIVER-E trailer! Check it out over on our facebook page and our blog