In Which we Wish Caden James a Happy Birthday!!!

Today is a marvelous day.  One of the main reasons for this is because 365 days ago, Caden James came into the world - a cute bundle of chunky adrableness.  (Yes, I spelled that correctly!)

I love many things about this little guy - his sweetness, his faces, the way he dances to the theme song from the Office, and the fact that he loves cuddles.  I also enjoy the fact that he's a sympathy crier - you cry, he cries.  It's really good validation.  But seriously, I think that's an awesome characteristic for him to already be cultivating!!

He's officially a walker now, so look out, world!  And if you're a girl in a coffee shop, you better believe he'll sit and make googly eyes at you and flirt his little heart out.  So cute!

Jen, his mom, showed me an awesome thing he does now - she asks him if he's charming and he makes the most adoarable face!  It really is TRULY charming :)

I love all the nicknames we get to give him and I'm looking forward to hearing his first words and figuring out what his voice is going to sound like.  It will be neat to see what original nicknames he decides to give his additional parents (more like pseudo aunts and uncles). 

I have pretty much never met such a sweet tempered child and I love watching his parents (and the Eitels) parent him! I am glad that he is still so squishy and ad-rable.  His party is going to be awesome and I can't wait to celebrate him and all of the added awesomeness he brings into the world!  Even though he may not remember specifics about this birthday celebration, it's my prayer that he would remember feeling completely loved :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADEN JAMES!  You are one awesome little boy!!!!!

In Which We Discuss Wild Things

So, I went last night to see Where the Wild Things Are with my mom and my sister.  Umm... I pretty much love that movie.  It's moves super slow, but the monsters are HILARIOUS!!!  And I was beyond impressed with how well the monster costumes worked out - it was literally like the book came to life.  BUT it's totally an adult film and not for kids because of the super slow pace and all the humor would fly over the heads of little ones - they also might find parts of it scary.  BUT I'm pretty sure I loved it.

Here is a picture I found on the internet of one of the monsters, Carol.   He is the main monster, and is voiced by James Gandolfini.  It's excellently done!  And such valuable lessons gleaned from it.  Having a family is hard, but totally worth it. 

Here is a picture of some toy figurines coming out based on the monsters - the only pic I could find with all the monsters in it:

  These are all accurate except the blue bull, whose name we never find out in the movie, but who is also brown in the movie, not blue.  The rest of the characters are (from left to right and top first, then bottom): Max, Alexander, Carol, K.W., Judith, the Bull, Ira, and Douglas. 

Go see it; it's quite funny!  And if you go on a weeknight, it's only $5!

In which we shout, "SHUT UP! GET OUT OF HERE!" at Satan

I love my job.  I love my job deliriously.  Okay, maybe not deliriously, but seriously, at least.  There are so many things about my job that rock.  One of my favorite perks, besides the people I work with, is the fact that I can hear the classes that are being taugh in the main auditorium from my desk.  It's ridiculously sweet!

Earlier this morning, Allen Hood was bringing the Word to the first years and it was awesome!  He was talking about how to overcome negative thoughts and the dire necessity of doing so.  He actually used the words, "You need to get used to say, 'Shut up! Get out of here!', to Satan. It was Jesus' favorite thing to say to him."

I laughed a little bit to myself when he said it, but then had to sit there for a minute and actually soak in what he had said.

Satan is the Father of Lies.  HE. IS. A. LIAR. It's kind of his specialty. And he's subtle about it, but he's not passive about it.  He is out to get you. For real. He is out to make you believe lies about yourself, about others, and, most importantly, about God. He will do anything and everything he can in order to separate you from relationship with the One who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the One who humbled Himself and became a baby, lived a perfect life, died on a cross, rose again, and sits at the right of the Father. Satan wants to separate you from the One who continually intercedes for you, and is orchestrating this whole thing in order to marry you at the end of the age and to reign with you for all of eternity.  If I was him, I'd want to separate you from Him, too. 

Like I was saying earlier, Satan may be subtle about it, but he is in NO WAY passive about attacking you.  He is wildly aggressive and totally committed to his battle plan.  He has declared all out war on you the moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior, I guarantee it.  If he's being aggressive, you MUST be aggressive, as well. You cannot afford to sit back and passively hope the attack will pass.  As long as you are on this earth, it will not pass.  There may, of course, be momentary lulls, but as long as the breath of life is in you, you will be under attack. 

I feel like a lot of times, if we are taught anything about counteracting Satan's attacks, we are taught that we must pretty much just grin and bear it - "this too shall pass".  I believe that we can live in victory in this age.  But only if we call on the name of Jesus.  HE is the one who makes demon's flee, not me.  Not you.  None of us has the power to thwart demons in our own power.  So, we need to start saying, "SHUT UP! GET OUT OF HERE, SATAN, IN JESUS' NAME!".  And they will flee.  The negative voices will be silenced.  Jesus has the power and authority, we just need to claim it. Try it. You have authority in Jesus' name.  Use it and aggressively step into the battle that is already raging all around you. Tell Satan to shut up and get out.  You belong to another kingdom!

Something else Allen talked about today was prophecying over yourself. When you are having negative thoughts, speak the truth over yourself.  Actually say truth over yourself OUT LOUD.  There is power on the spoken word.  Even if you don't feel anything, your words are loosing things in the spirit.  Eventually your emotions WILL begin to line up.  All things must come into submission to the authority of Christ.  This includes your thoughts.  I love the idea of prophecying over yourself; just speaking encouragement over yourself.  Our words have such power. We have no idea.

In Which I Share Book Covers

A couple of entries ago, I talked about how I had recently purchased a new copy of Pride and Prejudice.  I am currently lending it to my mom, but this is what it looks like. It's quite deliciously cute!

Here are some more Pride and Prejudice covers I like - yes, I actually researched this.  I have a lot of free time?

I think the lady in the second cover is actually not dressed in the correct time period.  But maybe it's just cause in my head, she never wears a bonnet like that...

You know which book has the most excellent covers?  Wuthering Heights.  I know!  Kind of weird, but I guess it's easier to create cover art for a gloomy novel - gloomy covers just look cooler.  Examples:

Less gothic, but still awesome, if not totally connectable covers for Wuthering Heights:

Sweet covers for Sense and Sensibility (probably my favorite covers):

Other random covers I like:

And that, my friends, is the end.

The One Where I Post a Letter

So, I opened up my inbox this morning and had a bright, shiny email from Mike Bickle, himself.  Well, not truly; it was actually from IHOP.  But it's Mike Bickle's letter inviting people to onething09 this year, and I thought it was pretty well written, and actually didn't use a ton of IHOP lingo.  I wanted to give any of my readers who didn't also receive it (can't imagine there are many, if any of you) a chance to read it.  So, without further ado, here is his letter:

Dear Friends,

This coming December, Lou Engle, myself, and the rest of the leadership team at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City are giving a clarion call to young adults. We would like you to join us.

Last year, at onething08, over 16,000 came to Kansas City and 20,000 joined us on the live webstream. As you remember, the conference was a time of focused teaching on the urgency of the hour that we are living in and the necessity of living a consistent lifestyle of abandonment to Jesus.

You are no doubt aware of the crisis in our land: our nation is in serious moral decay, and our national future is in the balance at this crucial hour. Encroaching ideologies are causing great damage to our culture. However, I believe that 2010 can be a year to gain significant ground in the Spirit. We must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying in this hour.

Many once-sincere, young adult believers have been drawn into compromise—they are being taught false doctrines about the deity of Jesus, salvation, justice, and the very nature of the grace of God. They are falling into increasing compromise and darkness. This is tragic and must be turned around.

Many voices in our nation are muddying the waters: the Emerging Church has something to say; the pro-choice movement has something to say; the Muslims have something to say; the homosexual community has something to say. Above all these, Jesus Christ has something to say.

This year, at onething’09, our theme is: "What is the Spirit Saying to the Church?" As those who love Jesus, we are all desperate to hear what He is saying, and then to obey it. At this four-day conference Lou Engle, Misty Edwards, Allen Hood, Dwayne Roberts, Mark Anderson, myself, and others will be teaching on what we believe the Spirit is saying.

There is an answer to the confusion and deception that is coming from some of those associated with the Emerging Church. We believe the Spirit is raising up what we refer to as the "Praying Church"—a church that loves the truth and has unwavering allegiance to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is raising up such congregations that will do outreach and works of justice that flow from a foundation of prayer and deep relationship with Jesus. This “Praying Church" movement is resisting the false church, which is emerging in our nation today, especially among young adults.

On September 19, 2009, during our ten-year anniversary, the IHOP–KC staff made a sacred commitment to Jesus to combine our 24/7 prayers for justice with 24/7 works of justice. We are calling campus ministries, churches, and others to also cry out for justice and engage in works of justice. By the grace of God, at the onething’09 conference, we will be speaking boldly and clearly on a number of issues, including the Lord’s heart to combine prayer for justice with doing practical works of justice.

I invite you to join us this December in Kansas City for the onething’09 conference. Registration is free, and you can sign up online at IHOP.org/onething09.

Until He comes,
Mike Bickle