Festival

Carl compteted in the FM Music Festival today. In his particular division, he was required to play two pieces--both memorized--for a judge, who would critique the pieces and give him a rating from the following: Superior (5 points), Excellent (4 points), Satisfactory (3 points), Fair (2 points), or Needs Improvement (1 point). Once you earn 15 points, you get a gold cup, so the shortest time in which you can earn 15 points is 3 years. Carl and I both earned our first gold cup in our first 3 years of participating. Since then, Carl has earned two more consecutive Superiors, so this year was a pretty big deal, because if he got the Superior, he would get his medium-sized gold cup. As you can imagine, he was rather nervous today. His judge was a college music professor who apparently didn't give out many Superior ratings.

However, that didn't seem to faze Carl. Even though he was nervous, he played extremely well. He thought he had left out a part in one of his songs, and was upset at that thought; he asked me if I thought he had left out the part, and I didn't think so (and believe me, after hearing the same songs day after day, I think I could play them!), but then, I didn't have the music, either. He finally got his music back, along with a card inside the book saying what his rating was. He wasn't really sure he wanted to see what he had gotten (which I can totally relate to), but when he finally looked, he grinned up at me. So stay tuned for pictures of his new gold cup!

And for those of you who may be wondering--no, I do not compete in the Festival anymore . . . but that's a whole different story. Actually, it's a story that's worth telling, but not now. Right now, it's Carl's time to be in the limelight. Way to go Carl, on getting your Superior! We are so proud of you!!!!

Our trip

Well, we made it to and from the Cities with no problems. The roads were perfectly clear almost all the way to Alexandria; from Alex on to Monticello the roads were snow covered, and although we had to slow down a bit, it wasn't slippery or anything. By the next day, the snow had melted off of the roads, so they were clear pretty much everywhere. I was able to drive from Monticello to Maranatha (which is on the U of MN campus) on Saturday, so it was good to get some big-city experience. And no, I didn't total the van; Mom said I did really well, especially for my first time driving there. :-)

Church Saturday night was awesome. There weren't very many people there that we knew, but it was still good to reconnect with those we did know, and to meet some new people (Bruce, we missed you, and are praying for a speedy recovery!). The worship was really good, and the sermon was powerful and convicting. It was about the strength and danger of pride. Here are my notes from the sermon:

Isaiah 14:12-15--Pride starts in our relation to one another.
Ezekiel 28:2, 12-17--Pride starts with lifting up our heart; it is like sitting on God's throne.
Pride is so deceptive that a man will go to his death in pride.
Hebrews 12:15--When pride enters your heart, the root of bitterness goes down quickly and deeply.
If we don't deal with pride, we will lie agianst the Holy Spirit.
James 3:13-16--Once pride is rooted in your heart, everything is calculated in order to put yourself forward and tear others down.
Hosea 7:10--Don't be deceived by thinking we can be deceived into pride; the pride testifies to our face. We cannot be in fellowship with God and be in pride, for no one can serve two masters. You cannot be god and serve God.
Luke 14:26, John 17:10--As Christians, we are called to rank below those who are honored or rewarded; and we are not to expect honor or reward.
2 Timothy 3:16--To accept reproof means to say, "I'm guilty, and I know it. I acknowledge it." Pride is desiring worship from others; instead, we must accept reproof.
Matthew 23:11-12--The greatest enjoyment of God comes when we are most humbled.
Isaiah 57:15--The High and Lofty One dwells with the humble and contrite; therefore the humble are lifted up to dwell with Him in the lofty places, while the prideful are fallen to the depths of Sheol.
Romans 12:2--God wants us to experience what is good, acceptable, and perfect, but to have that we must be in the will of God.
1 John 2:15-17--We cannot be in the will of God and in pride.
Matthew 7:21-23--Only those who do the will of the Father--as opposed to self-will--will enter the kingdom of heaven.

The true believer will overcome pride because they can't go without Jesus Christ's fellowship.

Proverbs 3:5-7--How do you acknowledge God in all your ways? Change your ways; line them up according to the Word of God.
Song of Solomon 2:15--We must catch the little foxes of pride, because they will destroy the tender fruit of the Spirit.
Matthew 5:23-24--Don't think you have fellowship with God if you have offended someone.

If we will accept the reproof from God and from others, we will find ourselves rich in wisdom.

1 Peter 5:5-8--Humility is something you must actively put on.
Romans 12:10--We should outdo one another in showing honor.
Proverbs 15:31-33--If we disdain reproof, we hate our own soul!
Proverbs 29:1, 27:6
Psalm 141:5
Revelation 3:19--We must be zealous in repentence.

I will leave you with one quote from the night that has really made me stop and think twice.

"Pride is in opposition to trust in God. By not trusting in God, you are telling Him, 'I know better.'"

Not much new

I'm getting some major spring-fever about now. I'm dreaming of the day when we can break out the baseball gloves and bats, clean off our basketball hoop, start doing some minor construction around the house, and start biking again! Oh, yes, and we can't leave out the movie we're going to make with some friends over the summer. These next two months are usually the hardest when it comes to school. All of our vacation time is over, and we just have to push toward the finish. Actually, scratch that. It's hardest in April and early May when it's nice enough to be outside working or playing, but we have to do bookwork instead.

Other than that, there's not really too much to report. We'll be going to the Twin Cities this weekend, so I'm really looking forward to that. Any trip to Maranatha is awesome. We have lots of piano and chess competitions coming up, so I'll keep you updated as to how they go. Carl has a Piano Festival next weekend, so if you think of it, please be praying that it goes well, and that he doesn't get too nervous. This is a big deal for him, because if he gets the highest rating possible (like he has for the last 5 years), he gets a medium-sized gold cup. It's kind of hard to explain how it works, but he and I both got our small gold cups after our first three years of being in the Festival (the shortest amount of time in which you can earn a cup).

One of my favorite quotes

Suppose there were no intelligence behind the universe. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. Thought is merely the by-product of some atoms within my skull. But if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? But if I can't trust my own thinking, of course, I can't trust the arguments leading to atheism, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I can't believe in thought; so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.
~C.S. Lewis

True love

Today most people are celebrating Valentine's Day in the usual way: Roses, chocolates, sweet cards, and maybe a special date. But I would guess that most people celebrate the day without ever wondering what started the day in the first place. It all began with a martyred priest named Valentine, who lived under the Roman Empire in the late 600s A.D. There are many different stories as to how and why he died, but all agree that it had something to do with his faith. When I was about eight years old, I saw a movie of his story. In that story, the priest Valentine befriends a blind orphan girl and shows her love she has never felt before. He points her to Jesus in everything he says and does. Eventually, he gives her the ultimate act of love by taking her place in a lion-filled arena.

This story is a reminder that true love is not a romantic feeling; it is a choice to show the heart of Jesus no matter the cost. Jesus chose to pay the penalty of our sin by dying on a cross over 2,000 years ago. He didn't have to die; His Father had 12 legions of angels ready to rescue Him if He would have but said the word. Yet He chose to die, because that's how much He loves us. How can we do anything less for Him?

John 15:13
"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

What this world needs

What this world needs
Is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three ring circus society
What this world needs
Is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suit

What this world needs
Is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That's what this world needs

What this world needs
Is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can't see
God's gotta change our heart before He changes our shirt
What this world needs
Is for us to stop hiding behind our revelence
Blending in so well that people can't see the difference
And it's the difference that sets the world free

Jesus is our Savior
That's what this world needs
Father's arms around you
That's what this world needs
That's what this world needs

~Casting Crowns

He impacted our world

Today, all over the world, people celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of a man who changed history. Charles Darwin and his theories (which by the way, do not--by scientific standards--even qualify as theories) had such an impact on the world that we are still feeling the effects today. And I suppose we will feel the effects for many, many years to come. His thoughts and ideas are taught in public (and many private) schools as fact, rather than the fiction they are. Even more sobering is the fact that over 12,000 churches have or are going to celebrate "Evolution Sunday" in honor of Darwin. These churches are saying that evolution and creation are compatible. I beg to differ. That's like saying an earthquake helped an architect build a skyscraper. If churches are supporting evolution, I would question whether they are a part of the true Church of Jesus Christ.

Although Charles Darwin impacted our world in a very lasting way, there is someone who had an even greater impact. Jesus Christ was born over 2,000 years ago, and the entire universe is still shaking from it. He is still changing lives, and His Name is being preached throughout the entire world. His life, His words, and His actions will live on forever, and they will lead you not into deception and despair; but to truth and everlasting hope.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. We had a fantastic time celebrating, and had many surprises for her. On Sunday we had a Super Bowl party with some friends, and they put up all sorts of banners and decorations for Mom. We sang Happy Birthday, and had brownies for dessert. A huge thank-you to Hannah and Mrs. K. for helping to coordinate the surprise!
Monday night Carl and I stayed up until Mom was asleep, and then made a huge banner and homemade birthday cards for her. We were downstairs taping the banner together when we had a bit of a scare: Footsteps in the living room. We were fairly worried about the surprise being ruined, until Dad called down the stairs. It took us quite some time to figure out how to put the banner up, but we were finally able to get it up. The next morning we all waited in the kitchen until Mom came out, then sang Happy Birthday again.
Last night Dad took us all out to eat, and then we came home and had cake and opened presents.
Happy Birthday Mom! I love you SOOOO much!
P.S. No, my camera is not having color issues; Mom really did dye her hair red (with wash-off spray). Actually, it's supposed to be pink, but that's what you get when you have dark hair. We kids thought it was funny, but Dad wasn't really sure whether to laugh or cry when he saw it (and then he had to go out in public with her!).