Tampa Through My Lens #4: Concert Day

Welcome back to my "Tampa Through My Lens" series. You can find the first three posts here:

• #1: Alive on Arrival
• #2: Solo Wanderings
• #3: An Evening with Friends

It's been a week, but I was waiting to see if anyone would upload video of the All State middle school chorus performances to YouTube. No luck yet! 

On Saturday morning, Dad and six of the brothers and sisters drove over in two cars. Finding the hotel and then finding parking can be super tricky, so I stayed on the phone guiding them in. It's a good thing I had gotten so familiar with the streets while walking around downtown the day before! I even walked over to the parking garage where my van was to see if there were any spots left - yes! They all made it in time before the concert started.

Performances were at the Marriott.

We ended up near the back of the room, so we couldn't see Naomi during the performance, but the singing was awesome! My favorite piece is Tshotsholoza, a South African folk song featured in the movie Invictus. 

Over 300 students in the
mixed chorus - and just as many
in the treble chorus which sang before that.
I went to both concerts, since Naomi's friend
was in the treble group.

Want to listen? I finally managed to get the audio from my iPod imported in to movie file and uploaded to both YouTube and Facebook.  You can hear it here:



They also sang "Hine Ma Tov" (Jewish folk song), "Afro-Celtic Diddle", "O Praise the Mighty Lord" (Handel sacred piece), "Until I Found the Lord" (African-American spiritual),"Traveling Home", and "Tell My Father" (Civil War ballad - Naomi's favorite, sung by the males in the choir).

Naomi with Dad and Mom after the concert

And all of the pictures with her brothers and sisters!

The Tampa skyline
from the roof of the parking garage

Several of us were planning to drive down to Sarasota to see the Ringling Museum of Art, but it took us forever to get out of the parking garage and then to find the Chick-Fil-A. When we finally stopped for lunch, we realized we were way too tired for the extra few hours of excursion. Good call, because I was fighting to stay alert enough to drive (thank you, caffeine), and was wiped when we got home. I plopped in bed a few minutes after I walked in the door, and was out for hours.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. I am so proud of Naomi and how hard she worked to get into All State!

Grace and peace,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Mindful in the Moment

Dear friends,

Mindful in the moment?

Jim Elliot, a missionary martyred in the 1950's, once wrote, 

"Wherever you are, be all there! 

Live to the hilt every situation 

you believe to be the will of God."

I try to practice mindfulness.  It's calming to be able to savor the little beauties and epiphanies that come my way.

I recently walked out of my doctor's office and glanced across the street at the hospital parking lot.  And a retention pond.  Big deal, right?  Wait.  What?

Little beauty waiting for me.  I take it where I can find it.

My eyes are attentive.  I tune out the cars and asphalt and focus on the reflections of trees in the water.  My feet are drawn across the street, down the bank for a closer look.

Two ducks glide around the pond, weaving in and out among the water plants.  Do you see them there?  They are attentive to me, too, and swim away in caution.  I see upside down trees, rippling reflections on the glassy surface.

I walk quietly, not wanting to disturb the rhythms of nature.  On the other end of the pond, I bend down to see clusters of orange and yellow composite flowers.  I hear rustling around me.  Squirrels in the tree are dropping something into the water.  A frog plops in with a splash.

My ears are attentive, too.  I can hear the whir and chirp of life there.  I tune in to their music and switch my iPod camera to record mode.  My camera is an extension of me, capturing my memories so I can continue to attend to the beauty.




This is what you would see driving by.  Only a road with a yellow traffic line, a parking lot with cars, buildings.  Unless, you are paying attention, that is.

That afternoon, in a Christian women's discussion group, our facilitator talks about being mindful as a way of building our spiritual strength and learning to rest in God's providence.  I smile.  I know this by heart.  She hands us hard peppermints, with instructions to suck them slowly, not chewing.  Too late.  I've already crunched.  It's a stress response, I know.  But I press the remains tightly between tongue and palate, allowing them to dissolve.  The next one I faithfully suck down to the slivers, mindful of the texture and flavor.  There is always more to learn, even if we know.  So...

Stop.  

Look.  Listen.  Taste.  Feel.  Smell.   You were given five basic senses for a reason: to use them -- and to fully experience all that God has given us!

Think.  Savor.  Ponder.  Wonder.  Meditate.  Enjoy. Appreciate.  You were given a brain, a heart, a spiritual life for a reason: to use them -- and to thank God for all he has given us!

Want more on being mindful of Creation?  Look at these photo essays:

• Cloud Conversation

• Here Comes the Sun!

• April Showers and Flowers
• Evening Nature Walk in the Neighborhood
• Morning Walk

      Also, more food for thought....

Pay Attention.  Be Astonished.  Talk About It. (A reflection on Mary Oliver's poem by D.S. Martin at Ruminate Magazine)

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

"At the Cross" by Living Waters A Capella from Yale

Dear friends,

On Sunday morning, the Living Waters a Capella (voices only) singing group from Yale University blessed our little church with two songs during our worship service.  Then on Monday night, they serenaded the ladies' Bible study with two more!  (One of the leaders of the singing group is the daughter of the lady who was teaching the study.) I'm really glad I went to the study, my first time.  I'll write more about it later in the post, but first wanted to share this one music video of them singing "At the Cross" which made me cry.  The soloist, Esther, is from the Sudan but spent most of her life in Kenya.  Both places have been in turmoil in recent years, so the words she sings are all the more poignant.  She is a political science major at Yale.  




"At the Cross" (Chorus)
by Hillsong

Oh Lord You've searched me
You know my way
Even when I fail You
I know You love me

Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me
I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now?

You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me

You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that it is done 

The other thing that blessed me about the study is that they were watching a video from Lysa TerKeurst's series Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions.  I absolutely love how she used the beauty of art and music to "set the table" for her lesson on how God shapes us into who he wants us to be: she taught much of the lesson from in front of Michelangelo's David sculpture in Florence, Italy.  What do I mean by "set the table"?  I guess you'll have to head over to my post "Bella Sophia" (Lady Wisdom Sets the Table)!

I love the concept that God is the passionate artist who is working on us bit by bit to transform us into his perfect vision for us.  We are his masterpieces, and he is very patient with us.

“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”  Michelangelo

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”  Michelangelo

Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

This post will be linked at: 

 

Sweet Shot Tuesday 

You can see my current photo collection here: Sweet Shot 2013.   

Raising Homemakers

Wise Woman

Whole-Hearted Home

Walking Redeemed

Still Saturday

The Sunday Community

Scripture and a Snapshot

Count the Stars (Happy 6th Anniversary to Lake Baldwin Church!)

Dear friends,

Yesterday (Sunday, February 12), we celebrated the 6th anniversary of Lake Baldwin Church.  In honor of the occasion, and to go with our current sermon series (Count the Stars) on the life of Abraham, our worship leader Josh Bales wrote and performed a new song.  I happened to have my iPod in my purse and whipped it out as quickly as I could to catch an impromptu video. Josh kindly gave permission for me to post it on this blog and Facebook, and even sent me the words for it.  Please pardon the lack of video/audio editing.  I uploaded it "as is" since I don't have sound on my desktop computer, and my laptop is in the shop.  

I also wish I had the time to write up a full blog post on the morning service at LBC, but my second grandson was born last night! (See here: Baby Isaac is Here!)  Coincidentally his name is Isaac, and God's promise to  Abraham (when he told him to count the stars) was for a son -- whom he named Isaac.  Abraham had to wait a really long time for Isaac, and waiting is hard!

I hope this song is a blessing to you if you're going through a difficult season of life.

Enjoy!


(If you are reading this via e-mail or Google Reader, you may need to visit the actual blog post to see the video.)

Count the Stars

Josh Bales © 2012 Bryan Days Music (ASCAP)

When I lay me down to sleep at night

underneath a sacramental sky,

I count the stars- count them if I can,

then rest my dreams inside my Maker’s hands. Oh I count the stars.

I count the stars for they are signs to me-

pictures of a future I can’t see.

Like a mother with no child to hold,

every star’s a child I call my own. So I count the stars. 

On my darkest night a million beams of light ask me to believe

that your promise is like a starlit sky - bigger than my dreams.

So in my doubting dark I count the stars. 

I count the stars when hope is hard to find,

when there's no morning for my soul's dark night.

And when my longing heart feels weak and thin,

I lift my head and count the stars again. I count the stars.

I count the stars and believe that your promise is bigger than my dreams.

On my darkest night a million beams of light ask me to believe

that your promise is like a starlit sky - bigger than my dreams.

So in my doubting dark I count the stars.

~*~*~

While I'm at it, I want to express how grateful I am for our three pastors at Lake Baldwin Church!  By God's grace, they dream big dreams and work to seem them happen!

Mike Tilley, our senior pastor, and his wife Molly
have been at LBC since the very start!

  

Soon Pak, youth and associate pastor, with baby Levi
(wife Erin not pictured)

Mike Aitcheson (our new church planting intern) with wife Lucy

If you live in the Orlando area, stop by for a visit!  The service starts at 10:45 on Sunday mornings.  You can find directions and other information at www.lakebaldwinchurch.com


To see the post from last year: 

Weekend Gratitude: Lake Baldwin Church 5th Anniversary Celebration

For other Josh Bales songs:

Weekend Gratitude is Getting to Be a Habit! (Song: "I Need You")

Weekend Gratitude: Cairo, Justice & Mercy, and "A Hymn For All the World"

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

Titus 2 Mentoring Podcast and Links

Dear friends,

Karen Campbell interviewed me a couple of weeks ago about Titus 2 mentoring, and the three podcast segment are on her web site, (http://www.thatmom.com/).  Besides the links for those, I wanted to provide some other links related to mentoring to go along with this!

The podcast part 1  (hint: turn off the music in her sidebar when you get there!) 
The podcast part 2  
The podcast part 3 

This next link is for the audio I did last week in Gainesville, Florida.
"Amazing Grace for Home School Moms" audio on Joyful Liberty, Tender Compassion and Wise Guidance.  It is in four parts, with a total listening time of 1 hour and 7 minutes.


My other links related to mentoring and mothering: 

Calling All Mentors
The Joys of Mentoring
Do It Well, But Keep It Humble 
Child Discipline or Child Abuse? 
A Mother's Seeds poem
The Real Life Home School Mom PDF
Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About Feeling Good?
Cherishing Your Marriage chapter from The Real Life Home School Mom
Read, Reflect & Respond audio
Mardy Freeman web site (I mentioned Mardy in the podcasts)
Cheryl Bastian web site (I mentioned Cheryl in the podcasts)

My other blogs:

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com for encouragement in motherhood
www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com for preschool & elementary
www.ContinueWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com for middle school
www.FinishWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com for high school

I'd love to hear your comments about this podcast and the links, so hit the comment button!

Blessings,
Virginia