Listening to a past voice lesson, watching SCRUBS, and eating Mac' and Cheese I ask myself, "How are ya Shea?" Well guys and gals, I'm doing great. I love choir, I am doing well in my classes, I'm enjoying my job. Everything is good. I am so acutely listening and looking for God here, and I'm finding him in some very strange places. I am learning more and more about him every day, and subsequently I learn more and more about myself. My faith is strengthening exponentially. Now I'm not going to say that I know EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing here right now, but I think that's okay. Maybe right now, God just wants me to search and show my eagerness. Guess I'll stick with that.
Blessings on you all.
Wednesday, October 14
Monday, October 12
Requiem Aeternam.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion: et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Exaudi, exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet. Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.
Rest eternal grant them, Lord our God, we pray to thee; and light perpetual forever shine on them. Thou, O God, art worshipped in holy Zion: unto thee the vow shall be performed in Jerusalem. Hear us, Lord, hear us. Hear thy servants prayer. Lord, unto thee all flesh shall come. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
In memory of Dr. Lowell Ashman, a teacher, and a great influence on ALL who ever met him. May his memory shine warmly in our hearts, and may we show love to others as he showed love to us.
-Amen
Rest eternal grant them, Lord our God, we pray to thee; and light perpetual forever shine on them. Thou, O God, art worshipped in holy Zion: unto thee the vow shall be performed in Jerusalem. Hear us, Lord, hear us. Hear thy servants prayer. Lord, unto thee all flesh shall come. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
In memory of Dr. Lowell Ashman, a teacher, and a great influence on ALL who ever met him. May his memory shine warmly in our hearts, and may we show love to others as he showed love to us.
-Amen
Wednesday, October 7
I Hear That Train 'a Comin.
Wow, what in the world is going on here? Did I miss something? When did it become all about me? Wait........IT NEVER DID! I can feel something coming on me, its like I KNOW something is happening that is shaking me off my pedestal. I'm tired ladies and gents. Tired of taking the long road. What I'm getting at is that I forgot I'm not in control, and gosh darn it I'm tired of trying!! Lets get back to the basics Shea. Its time to think.
Sunday, September 13
Beyond The Table.
In my English class we had to write a paper on the foods I would miss from home. I was a little stumped about this because frankly, all the food we cook in my house is good. So I wrote about the Sunday Dinner traditions that my family has. That was fine for my first draft, but my professor wanted me to write the paper as if it were a letter to my sister, who hypothetically did not want to continue attending dinner at my grandparents. I enjoyed this paper and wanted to share it with you.
Beyond The Table
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, known commonly as the “Fruits of the Spirit”, are things one would generally expect to learn in Sunday school. Our family however, is slightly different. Our classroom is not in a church, nor is it in a school or a community center. No, in fact our classroom is in Mimi and Grandpa’s kitchen. We don’t all sit down, grab a bible and lecture. Instead we cook, we eat, and we clean up; every Sunday afternoon. To you, dear sister, this may sound extremely unorthodox and a little ridiculous. Do not be fooled. It is here that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It is these lessons I’ll miss the most. Later on in life you’ll miss them too.
Love is a thing well known in the Berbaum household. We all express our love in different ways. Grandpa loves with his laugh. Mimi loves with her questions about your day. Jeremy loves you with every punch and head-lock. Fortunately, love is not just a laugh, a question, or a playful whack on the head. It is also being a servant, an idea well known in our family. As kids, our first real “chore” was to set the table, pour some drinks, and clean up after dinner. Mom and Mimi didn’t give us these simple tasks because they were lazy. They did it to teach us how to love. Servant hood isn’t obeying every command at the snap of a finger. Servant hood, as a Christian, is doing something without being asked, without asking anything in return, simply because you love someone. To love sweetheart, is to serve.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is found in Matthew Chapter 13: 31-32. It’s a well know parable so I don’t really have to explain it to you. But does it really teach you HOW to practice your faith? I don’t think so. Christine Albert Berbaum on the other hand, shows us EXACTLY what faith is and how to implement it into everyday life. Any time someone in the family is sick what do they do? They call Mimi and have her pray for them. Any time you have a problem and need some help what do you do? You call Mimi and have her pray for you. The one major thing I have learned from our grandmother about prayer is this: prayer is more than asking God to do something. Prayer is asking God to do something, and then BELIEVING that he is going to do it, and then THANKING him for doing it.
Now, unfortunately, I must speak about the uglier side of Sunday dinner. Every family has its issues. Every family argues. We all know that the family is pretty emotional. We all know that Jeremy and Mom have very different opinions on some things. We all know that sometimes, arguments get out of hand. Do you remember when Uncle Jeremy and I got into that fight, and Grandpa had to break us up? That day was one of the worst days of my life. Never before had I been so furious at someone in my own family. The good thing about that day is that I learned a couple very valuable lessons. First and most importantly I learned forgiveness. The beautiful part about it is that we never officially apologized to each other. We just forgave and forgot. The other very important lesson was that of self control. I discovered that I never want to feel as angry as I was that day, ever again.
I did not write this letter to you to chastise you. I’m not angry or upset. I do want you to realize exactly what you are missing on Sundays. You’re missing laughs, tears, memories, and utterly amazing food. But most importantly you’re missing out on lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Sure, our “classroom” is a little unorthodox. But don’t be fooled, my dear sister. It’s during those seemingly unimportant Sunday dinners that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It’s those lessons I’ll miss the most. You’ll miss them more.
Beyond The Table
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, known commonly as the “Fruits of the Spirit”, are things one would generally expect to learn in Sunday school. Our family however, is slightly different. Our classroom is not in a church, nor is it in a school or a community center. No, in fact our classroom is in Mimi and Grandpa’s kitchen. We don’t all sit down, grab a bible and lecture. Instead we cook, we eat, and we clean up; every Sunday afternoon. To you, dear sister, this may sound extremely unorthodox and a little ridiculous. Do not be fooled. It is here that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It is these lessons I’ll miss the most. Later on in life you’ll miss them too.
Love is a thing well known in the Berbaum household. We all express our love in different ways. Grandpa loves with his laugh. Mimi loves with her questions about your day. Jeremy loves you with every punch and head-lock. Fortunately, love is not just a laugh, a question, or a playful whack on the head. It is also being a servant, an idea well known in our family. As kids, our first real “chore” was to set the table, pour some drinks, and clean up after dinner. Mom and Mimi didn’t give us these simple tasks because they were lazy. They did it to teach us how to love. Servant hood isn’t obeying every command at the snap of a finger. Servant hood, as a Christian, is doing something without being asked, without asking anything in return, simply because you love someone. To love sweetheart, is to serve.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is found in Matthew Chapter 13: 31-32. It’s a well know parable so I don’t really have to explain it to you. But does it really teach you HOW to practice your faith? I don’t think so. Christine Albert Berbaum on the other hand, shows us EXACTLY what faith is and how to implement it into everyday life. Any time someone in the family is sick what do they do? They call Mimi and have her pray for them. Any time you have a problem and need some help what do you do? You call Mimi and have her pray for you. The one major thing I have learned from our grandmother about prayer is this: prayer is more than asking God to do something. Prayer is asking God to do something, and then BELIEVING that he is going to do it, and then THANKING him for doing it.
Now, unfortunately, I must speak about the uglier side of Sunday dinner. Every family has its issues. Every family argues. We all know that the family is pretty emotional. We all know that Jeremy and Mom have very different opinions on some things. We all know that sometimes, arguments get out of hand. Do you remember when Uncle Jeremy and I got into that fight, and Grandpa had to break us up? That day was one of the worst days of my life. Never before had I been so furious at someone in my own family. The good thing about that day is that I learned a couple very valuable lessons. First and most importantly I learned forgiveness. The beautiful part about it is that we never officially apologized to each other. We just forgave and forgot. The other very important lesson was that of self control. I discovered that I never want to feel as angry as I was that day, ever again.
I did not write this letter to you to chastise you. I’m not angry or upset. I do want you to realize exactly what you are missing on Sundays. You’re missing laughs, tears, memories, and utterly amazing food. But most importantly you’re missing out on lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Sure, our “classroom” is a little unorthodox. But don’t be fooled, my dear sister. It’s during those seemingly unimportant Sunday dinners that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It’s those lessons I’ll miss the most. You’ll miss them more.
Sunday, September 6
S3
So college has been good. As far as what LR has had to offer me, its been GREAT! But I haven't really connected with anyone yet......well except for the deaf kids. Ironically, they have taken me in more than anyone else. More then choir people (excluding Gospel choir), more than Poli Sci people. It seems that the people I am most different from, are the ones who show me the most love. I digress. Classes are excellent, most everyone is kind. My professors are good. I got a job. Its all coming together I believe. Thanks God. I came here looking, and I think I'm gonna find it.
Keep praying.
Keep praying.
Wednesday, August 26
Actions Speak.
Its been only a few days since I arrived on the campus of LRU and already I am beginning to see God. There is a large deaf community at this school, so I am being introduced to a new society of people. The world of sign language is beautiful and expressive, and I want to be a part of it. There are two guys across the hall from me who are hearing impaired and they are the kindest most helpful people I have ever met. Stuart is helping me learn new words, so I thought it would be nice to do something for him, and the others at my school. SO I decided to be a "note taker" in my Religion 100 course. Its just a way for me to get connected with these new friends of mine, and to further immerse myself in this culture. God has made a fire in my heart, and I keep finding more and more fuel. We'll see how things go.
Friday, August 21
Go Bears!
So I woke up today at 5:00AM to get ready to leave. It took me like 10 min to shower and get dressed. We got to LR at 8:30ish because we didn't leave until 6, and we ended up eating at Waffle House for breakfast. Started moving my stuff in and it all became a blur of boxes, bags, people, and sounds. CRAZY! My room mate's name is Tyler, he seems like an alright guy. This ENTIRE weekend is gonna be crazy!! Classes dont start till Tuesday. Ill keep everyone posted on everything.
Thanks to all who helped me get here. Especially Mom, Jack, Jess, Mimi, and Grandpa.
GO BEARS!
Thanks to all who helped me get here. Especially Mom, Jack, Jess, Mimi, and Grandpa.
GO BEARS!
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