From My Guestbook
Not long ago I finished a book called a Passionate Pursuit of God by Tim Riter. I went through it kinda fast b/c I was reading several others at the same time, but the book had a lot of good practical thoughts in gaining passion for our Holy God. One thing that was really good about the book is that it started from ground zero. If you are a not a believer or a new Christian this book lays a foundation of understanding the root and reason for our desire or lack thereof.

Today, I got an email saying someone had signed my guestbook: Here's the entry!

Fullname: Tim Riter
Email: timriter@aol.com
Where are your from?: temecula ca
AOL Instant Messenger: timriter
Homepage URL:
Reference: From Free Guestbooks Site
How good do you think this site is: Well Done!!!
Comments: Hi Melissa, I like your thoughts and insights about the Christian life. I see that you're reading a book I wrote, A Passionate Pursuit of God. I hope it blesses you, I'd love to hear your comments

Tim, Thank you for signing my guestbook and giving me feedback on my weblog, and thank you for having a heart to see people pursue the Lord. May God bless you as you serve in the local church and seek to glorify Him with your life. (I read that you were a pastor.)

Secret Santa
I have a Secret Blogging Santa. I don't know her, but I do know it is a HER! That's about ALL I've been able to figure out! Anyway, I wanted to thank her for the encouragement and the ecards! They have brightened my day and made me laugh! Now, what is your name? :)

Secret Santa: (Isn't it funny how fuzzy caterpillars are so cute in cartoons but kinda scary in real life? :D)
Me: LOL!

Christmas Break
Out of school for Christmas in 3 minutes!!!!! Yipppeeeee!

More LOTR's Thoughts
My friend Dale sent me one of his unfinished Tales and in it he comments on the LOTR's movie. Good insite. Here's part of it.

The Tales
December 2003
By Dale Fincher
There are many characters to identify with in this Middle-Earth’s battle. Frodo: who has to do his best with his burden. Pippin: the curious one who makes trouble with his zealous naiveté. Theoden: ruler of his domain but overtaken with deceit and exhausted of hope. Boromir: ambitious for his house and his land, but selfish enough to draw his friends into danger. Smeogol is, in scary fashion, the one to whom I can most resonate. The inner war is fierce and duplicitous. Yet Sam, my hero, is the one I want to be most like—humble Sam of the Shire, companion to the ring-bearer, honorable in dark places, fierce in his friendship, volunteer to the edge of Doom. Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli show their true steel. And while I am impressed with their heart and ability, I find them behaving within their own appointed task. But the Hobbits, made of stronger stuff than meets the eye, evokes the admiration. We are all Hobbits, I think. Tolkien wanted us to see that (as some argue Hobbits are his fellow Englishmen). And Hobbits can either become the pitiful Gollum or the honorable Sam. Frodo himself lost his finger in place of his life and was spared by the raw act of another’s ravenous greed. If I can’t succeed as a Sam, my God’s mercy take my finger and spare my soul.

I like the perspective that he has when he says, And Hobbits can either become the pitiful Gollum or the honorable Sam. We have that choice, also. Do we let our sin nature control us, or do we walk in the Spirit? It's is our choice.
What are ya'lls thoughts?

Warning!!! Don't read this post if you have NOT YET seen Return of the King!

A Mere Hobbit?
He's my favorite character. No, not Frodo, but Sam. Some friends and I went to Palace Point last night to see the last of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Return of the King. It was my favorite of the three. It was rich. Packed full of awesome analogies, and great lines! Incredible characters of valor and courage. My favorite was Sam, not because he was the coolest, or the best looking, but because of his Loyalty and his courage, in spite of his fear. He was the picture of the kind of friend I want to be. He was Frodo's companion on this burdensome journey that they were taking. He watched Frodo's back, and he showed allegiance even when Frodo turned his back on Sam. Without Sam, Frodo wouldn't have made it.

Frodo talked about the BURDEN that he had to bear and that Sam couldn't bear it for him, but Sam was willing. One of my favorite lines of the movie was when they were climbing up the mountain to destroy the ring. Frodo was heavy with the burden of the ring. He could go no farther. Sam picks Frodo up and says, I cannot carry it for you, but I can carry YOU! I thought that was an awesome picture of what we should be as Christian brothers and sisters.

Another great analogy was when they were inside the mountain and Frodo was about to destroy the ring, but he chooses not to. Sam tearfully begs him to make haste and throw the ring in the fire. For he has seen what the ring has done to his beloved friend. Frodo chooses not to, and because of this poor choice, he himself almost falls into the fire. In a selfish struggle, the ring with Gollum is cast into the fire as Frodo dangles over the edge. Sam reaches down and asks Frodo to grab his hand. Frodo struggles. You can see him still longing for the ring. Sam sticks with him and forcefully admonishes him NOT to let go. Frodo finally makes the choice to reach for Sam's had and NOT to follow the ring into its destruction. What a great picture of how we NEED friends to stick with us even when we are making poor choices (for them not to give up on us), yet at the same time, It comes down to OUR decision. Our friends cant make the decision for us to pursue the right things. If we pursue darkness, it will bring our destruction. Gollum was proof of that.

To complete the unselfish picture of Sam, when everything was safe and Middle Earth was rid of evil, Frodo was praised. Sam didn't show signs of envy or selfishness.

Mere Hobbits? I think not, without those unlikely heros, Middle Earth would have fallen to darkness. Courage and strength lie in hidden places.

Some funny (or not so funny) things:
Frodo was unknowingly being stalked by a gargantuan spider. I HATE spiders. I was on the edge of my seat, barely able to watch, anticipating the strike of the spider, when some WISE guy next to me grabs me just as the spider strikes. I thought I was going to HIT the ceiling! Very Funny!

Oh, and just to warn those of you that are going to New Attitude with us. The guys have a new line. Ben already promised he was going to say it all the way to Kentucky! Be prepared! LOL! (Fortunately, it's a good one.)

Thoughts?
So what are your thoughts? What did you take from the movie? What was your favorite character? Scene? Line? Analogy? What was your favorite of the three in the Trilogy?

Return of the King tonight! Anyone seen it already??? What did you think?

Found some colors I'm gonna stick with for a bit. Found the color scheme Here. Check it out for some other cool ones.

Only God can be both the builder and the wrecking ball.
-Jill Phillips

DC Trip
This weekend was refreshing fun. It kinda started out crazy. Amy drove down to my place with Josh, and then Amy and I headed up to her place in N. Va. AT MIDNIGHT! We drove through the night and got there just before daybreak. Then we crashed for a good 3-4 hours!
Saturday we went to a huge ski shop and I found some cool boarding threads! :) Also looked at some boards but didnt see anything jump out at me.
Later that day, Amy and I had every intention to go into the city and ice skate at an out door rink, but the weather took a not-so-slight chilly turn, so we opted for a cafe' to get some hot drinks and tour the smithsonian (free was the key there!) After an unexpected greeting from one of the guards (you'll have to read Amy's post) we took a brisk walk around the capitol to finish our drinks before we attempted to get past security again.
Later that night we played guitar for a bit. Shared stuff that we had written, and just had some good girl time. :)
Sunday we awoke to a beautiful blanket of pure white snow outside. We got ready, hit Starbucks (Eggnog Latte guys... you gotta try it!), and then went to church. The service was awesome. The corporate worship was Truth-Filled, Cross-Centered! The message was a challenging exhortation about fear.
After church Amy and I went to lunch with some of her friends. That was a fun time! I was glad to put some faces to some of the names I had heard, and I look forward to getting to know them better at New Attitude!
Sunday, I took an icey drive home. Actually the roads were pretty clear. Not bad at all.
SO I praise God for good fellowship.

New Reads
Started reading a few good books. Thought I would mention them here.

Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning
I got this one for my birthday last May from Micah. I had just started reading it and my sis wanted to borrow it, so I let her since I was in the middle of a few others. Got it back recently and decided to start over so I can get the whole book in one piece. :)

A quote from the book that goes a long with a message I heard by CJ Mahaney on cd on my way home from N. VA on Sunday.

Manning States, We often presume that trust will dispel the confusion, illuminate the darkness, vanquish the uncertainty, and redeem the times. But the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testifies that this is not the case. Our trust does not bring final clarity on this earth. It does not still the chaos or dull the pain or provide a crutch. When all else is unclear, the heart of trust says, as Jesus did on the cross, 'Into your hands I commit my spirit.' (Luke 23:46)

Fearlessly Feminine by Jani Ortland
Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
These last two I ordered a bit ago from the Sovereign Grace WebStore, but I'm just getting into them. I will post more about them later.

Oh, The Wonder!
Did you see it this morning? Did you? The beauty. The awesome winter wonder that God created? The trees looked like they were diamond covered, sparkling more brilliantly than even the most spectacular diamond ring. I drove to school in awe!