Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Friendship and Redemption
I just watched a few years old movie “Kite Runner” based on a fictional story book by the same title authored Khaled Hosseini. It is one of a couple of good movies I saw this year. If you’re looking for some good movies to fill your holidays this year, I would recommend this one.
It tells a story of a bond between two Afghan boys, Amir who came from the higher class Pashtun, and Hassan from the lower caste Hazara. They lived in the pre Soviet Afghanistan, and even though they were very close friends at first, through some incidents they grew cold to each other and finally Amir accused Hassan of stealing his watch. Continue reading “Friendship and Redemption”
Happy Halloween
Boo! Who is it? It’s me, Princess. Princess who? Princess Tangled. For Halloween this year Tryphena became Princess Tangled. We also carved pumpkins. Click here for more Halloween pictures.
Sunday Hymn 10.30.11
A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He,
Lord Sabaoth His name, From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, For lo! his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers- No thanks to them- abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also;
The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is for ever.
Martin Luther, 1529
Tr. Frederick H. Hedge, 1853
taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #444
Sunday Hymn 09.18.11
Thy Lovingkindness, Lord, Is Good and Free
Thy lovingkindness, Lord, is good and free,
In tender mercy turn Thou unto me;
Hide not Thy face from me in my distress,
In mercy hear my prayer, Thy servant bless.
Needy and sorrowful, to Thee I cry;
Let Thy salvation set my soul on high;
Then I will sing and praise Thy holy name,
My thankful song Thy mercy shall proclaim.
With joy the meek shall see my soul restored;
Your heart shall live, ye saints that seek the Lord;
He helps the needy and regards their cries,
Those in distress the Lord will not despise.
Let heaven above His grace and glory tell,
Let earth and sea and all that in them dwell;
Salvation to His people God will give,
And they that love His name with Him shall live.
(click here to hear the Congregation singing at Cornerstone URC of Hudsonville, MI)
taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #129
Piano Recital – July 2011
Today Tryphena gave her 3rd piano recital. She played “Dancing” by Jane Smisor Bastien, and we think she did quite well, young as she is and she practiced on a keyboard instead of a piano. She played using both hands, too. Below is the video clip of the recital.
Vacation
We just got back from a one-week vacation yesterday. My 2nd sister and her family, along with a family friend and her two
sons, came to visit us. Tryphena and I went to pick them up from San Francisco airport on the 2nd while Indra stayed home to take care Baron. Tryphena was so excited to meet with her cousins again. The last time they met was in the Summer of 2008 for a couple of days when they came to the Bay Area.
On Sunday we went to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz and to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. We headed home on Sunday.
They spent a night at our house on the 4th before heading to Southern California. We had a packed house of 11 people, 1 German Shepherd, 2 red ear sliders, and some fish. The house felt so lively and vibrant! Tryphena spent quite some time playing Lego with Alvin.
On Tuesday the 5th we headed down to Southern California. We went to Pismo Beach, Solvang, Disneyland, Hollywood, and Universal Studios. We had a good time together, and Tryphena had the opportunity to spend some time with her cousins. Her favorite cousin is Zach.
Pictured here on the right are Tryphena and her two cousins, Teophillus and Zachary. Click here to see the pictures.
Solar Project
To hedge ourselves against the ever-increasing electricity rates last month I decided to go solar. Upon doing some research and requesting quotes from several companies I decided to go with Arise Solar. Quite honestly it was hard to decide between Donald P. Dick and Arise Solar; however, I decided to go with the latter for several reasons. If you’re thinking about installing solar panels on your house, talk to these two companies and when you call Arise Solar at 559.449.8989 tell them that I refer you, alright?
Arise Solar started the solar panel project on our house yesterday, and they will finish it tomorrow. The city will then be notified and the inspector will sign off on the project. Once it’s signed off by the city, the utility company PG&E will need to come and replace the meter. They have 30 days to do this, and until then the inverter will remain off. Only after PG&E comes and replaces the meter, can we turn the inverter on and start reaping the benefits of going solar. Our electricity bill is expected to be around $120 annually.
I urge you to think about going solar, too. Presently you can still collect state and federal rebates. Go solar, and save yourself some money all the while reducing your carbon footprint and saving the mother earth because all of us know that global warming is real….. HOAX. 🙂
Sunday Hymn 06.19.11
‘Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee
‘Tis not that I did choose Thee, For, Lord, that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee, Hadst Thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me Hast cleansed and set me free;
Of old Thou hast ordained me, That I should live to Thee.
‘Twas sovereign mercy called me And taught my opening mind;
The world had else enthralled me, To heavenly glories blind.
My heart owns none before Thee, For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love Thee, Thou must have loved me first.
by Josiah Conder, 1836
Taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #385
Sunday Hymn 06.05.11
God, Be Merciful to Me
(Based on Psalm 51)
God, be merciful to me, On Thy grace I rest my plea;
Plenteous in compassion Thou, Blot out my transgressions now;
Wash me, make me pure within, Cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.
My transgressions I confess, Grief and guilt my soul oppress;
I have sinned against Thy grace And provoked Thee to Thy face;
I confess Thy judgement just, Speechless, I Thy mercy trust.
I am evil, born in sin; Thou desirest truth within.
Thou alone my Savior art, Teach Thy wisdom to my heart;
Make me pure, Thy grace bestow, Wash me whiter than the snow.
Broken, humbled to the dust By Thy wrath and judgement just,
Let me contrite heart rejoice And in gladness hear Thy voice;
From my sins O hide Thy face, Blot them out in boundless grace.
by Richard Redhead, 1836
Taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #94