Poem

I wish I could take credit for this awesome poem, but I cannot. See if you can pronounce everything correctly!

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

Peace

I've recently had the privelege of being able to see that I lack peace in my heart. Through different trials, circumstances, and occurrences in my every day life I saw that when the pressure is on me, I start to crack. It starts very slow; first I usually just become kind of quiet, more irritable, then it progresses to me worrying, stressing, getting upset, and eventually just shutting down. It was very upsetting to see these things happening in my life, and it was much more upsetting to see that this was a cycle that had been repeated every so often for quite some time. I realized that I don't find peace in God, I don't see him as one who is in control of my life. I often see myself as a victim of my circumstances and become so engulfed in this pathetic state that I lose sight of God. 

The more important lesson that I recently learned though is that God is good. He is VERY good. Despite the fact that I was so spiritually down and out, God used people in my life and His word to show me how wrong it is to despair over things that are trivial, earthly, and some that are just downright ridiculous and not at all within my control. It's interesting that I've heard that statement so many times but didn't ever dwell on it for too long. God really is good though, He's as good as good can be. That's a crazy thought, because I am not good. I sin, I hit low points, I lack trust, assurance, peace, patience, and joy. God's goodness is so good though, that it covers all of that. It's easy to think that it's unfair that we have to suffer or experience discomfort, and I unfortunately do think like this on occasion. What's really unfair though is that God forgave me, knowing that this is how I am. He loves me despite the fact that I don't always love Him. He chose me when I chose everything but Him. And he gives me peace and patiently shows me that I can't find it anywhere else.

This passage was very helpful in leading me to understand these things and I've been very blessed by the Apostle Paul's words to the Church of Philippi:

^"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Danner Boots

The Danner Shoe Manufacturing Company started making boots in 1932 and they've made progressively better boots every year since. They have a new line out right now called the 'Stumptown Collection.' I noticed these boots out at the Lizard Lounge in NW Portland and was instantly infatuated. These are great looking boots and they're built VERY tough. Check out some of the styles:

Tycho

I have been stuck on this album for the last couple of weeks. It's awesome to listen to when you're driving at night or pop it on in your headphones when you're biking around. If you haven't heard of Tycho, check him out! The album 'Past is Prologue' is a great introduction to this awesome musician. Click on the picture to download. Enjoy!



Some Thinkings

It's been a while... I've missed you.

So the last few weeks have been quite busy and I'm only now getting to slow down and rest a little bit. Last night was the first good night's sleep I've had in about a month; it was magical. Our youth group's camp and retreat were wonderful! I had a great time working at the camp, getting to be around some very serving people from our church, and spending time with our high schoolers. I was very blessed by the sermons, the worship, and the overall atmosphere.

As for retreat, what an amazing time that was! The worship at retreat was unbelievable and the fellowship truly blessed my soul. I had a chance to spend some time with some very close friends and get to know some great people (from our church as well as some visitors). I also realized something during these last few weeks: I really love our church. I've said it before, but I mean it much more now. After learning more about the church and how God is fully in control of it and is constantly working on it, I see how blessed I am to be where I am. I am now thrilled when I get to be around members from our church. It gives my heart great joy to see growth in people's lives and I thoroughly enjoy worshipping with different kinds of people. Thank you to all the people whose unique lives, personalities, and testimonies make up our beautiful church body. Thank you for your prayers, your service, your presence, and your love for God.

Having said that, there's a hymn that's been on my mind the last few days. It's been reminding me that I truly need God every moment of my life. I need His guidance, His mercy, His grace, His love, and every other characteristic that makes up our great God. Where would I be if God hadn't saved me from my life of sin and despair? I don't really want to know. The hymn is called 'I Need Thee Every Hour.' If you haven't heard this hymn yet, do give it a listen. It sounds better when sung by a choir or a good quartet, although a good quartet recording is hard to find. Here are the lyrics though, I hope you are blessed by this hymn as much as I am:

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Refrain