Sophie Scholl

I've never really been exposed to foreign films; this is only the second one I've seen. But I find it facinating that a WWII movie spoken completely in German should seem so relevant to 21st century America.
Sophie Scholl and her brother are two Christian students in Munich, Germany in 1943 who write and distribute fliers "propogating" the need of the German people to rise up against the dominion of Hitler and throw off his oppresssion. They promote peace, freedom, and moral standards. Their arguments are not based on mindless emotion, rather they present well thought out ideas founded in Christian principles and logical reason. They choose to fight Hitler with words and rhetoric rather than rash, violent actions. Both Sophie and Hans, her brother, are unwaveringly confident in their faith in Christ and in God's divine will, even when faced with Nazi "justice".
As Sophie is examined by a criminal inspector, she clearly states her conviction that all people -German, Jewish, mentally and physically disabled - are created in God's image, and that no man has the right to serve out Divine judgement on the lives of others.
For years and years America represented all these things: peace, freedom, submission to God, moral standards. It was the Germans who promoted war, political oppression, and a lack of value for human life. Yet here we are in 2006 America, and culture thinks not twice about thousands of daily abortions, "assisted suicide" for the elderly, and a total rejection of God and moral standards. Isn't it ironic, then, that such a vibrant, passionate voice against these things should come from a German film? Nor is that all. The Gospel is presented in Sophie in a pure, unassuming way that is neither vague nor obnoxiously "in-your-face" because it is shown, not with preaching and tons of words, but with the faithful lives and sincere prayers of steadfast believers.

You've no doubt figured it out by now, but I loved Sophie Scholl and I heartily recomend it to everyone who has a desire to learn from history in order to defend freedom and Christianity in our own country.


Jane Austen quote of the day: "Those who do not complain are never pitied."- Pride & Prejudice

uh -oh.

As y'all know, Sunday was Easter. As is custom (for some unknown reason) I hid lovely little dyed eggs around the house ('twas raining outside) for my little brother to find. There were a ton of plastic eggs, and 12 real eggs. He found all the plastic eggs, and 11 real eggs. Not good. And while the child cannot find the egg, the hider remembers not where it was hid. So some fine day in the conceivably near future, we will all walk into the house only to be attacked by a rather unorthodox aroma, and my birth certificate will no longer read "Rachel", it will be changed to "Mud". I think I want to move to Australia.

On a far happier note, I am so excited about my level 8 piano ajudication on Friday! Endless oodles of gratitude to RBR, Sam, and the 2nd and 3rd graders for all the encouragement. I love playing the piano and I can't wait to start working on my level 9 music.

"Why are people always so darn quiet in sanctuaries? Make a joyful noise, for pete's sake!" - my piano teacher

Sunday

Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday!!! I don't think I've been this excited about it in years. It feels like Christmas...better than Christmas. I don't even have to wait for a ten thirty service tomorrow morning. Sunrise service is at seven, followed by breakfast and Sunday school, then the full, glorious service of praise and rejoicing.

I can't think of a better way to spend Easter morning than coming to God's temple and singing in adoration of the Awesome One who revealed His love to us by dying on the cross, and rising again.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved my and gave Himself for me." - Gal. 2:20

HE IS RISEN!

Mondays....

Tomorrow is Monday, and I'm not ready for it to be. School during Easter week doesn't seem right in the first place. Really, it's the last week of the LORD's life on earth, and we don't even break the day to day routine for rememberance until Friday.

There's orchestra rehearsal tomorrow evening, and we have sectionals, where all the second violins get together to rehearse in a room separate from all the other strings. There are about six of us on a regular basis. It's fun, but sooo much hard work. The fact that I haven't had time to work on orch. music at home this week doesn't help at all. We're playing Mendelsson's Italian Symphony, a piece by Vaughn Williams and a Shostacovitch(sp?). The Mendelsson is fantastic, I haven't played the VW, and Shostacovitch is a little....unorthodox. What fun would music be though, if no one ever stepped outside the boundary lines of "orthodoxy"? We'd have nothing but baroque music because Handel never wouldv'e dared to begin the Classical movement. Beethoven wouldn't have dreamt of infusing his music with such vibrant emotion because under the confines of music up to that point, it "just wasn't done". Yes, Mozart was a genius, but he never wrote anything beyond the common style of his day. Creativity has originality near it's core, and without it, creativity quickly becomes cut and paste copying. The only "rules" an artist must abide by are a dedication to depicting truth, beauty, and intelligence through his/her creation.

Phillipians 4:8 - Whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be anything praiseworthy, think about these things.
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Tomorrow may be Monday, but it is the day that the LORD has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

~Happy Monday~

Can't believe it

What possessed me to start a blog? I don't have time to do this, I have rehearsals!!!! Orchestra! Violin! Piano! Choir! What am I thinking writing a blog that I don't have time for, that no one will ever read? Ah well. If nothing else I need typing practice.