Pages Read during last two weeks: 203

Tuesday Response

Ok, so part of our assignment for this Tuesday was to review our recent blog posts and I decided to evaluate myself. Although I do put my due time into the posts, I always end up putting in all this time at once. For example, I did two or three blog updates last night. The thing is, I thought I was being sneaky when I changed the dates in a few of my reviews. Oh well, I guess now I'll have to do the assignment like it was supposed to be done.
The second thing we're supposed to do is pick our favorite blog and comment, I have to say my favorite is Hot Kool Aid. She (or he) puts a lot of originality and personality into her blog and it makes it interesting to read.

Crazy Love Pg 84-100

This section was only one chapter, chapter 5, but this chapter was packed with neat stuff to read about.
I'm going to make a list of some points that Chan made in this section:

- He pretty much stated that lukewarm Christians are not real Christians, which is kind of scary for me. Am I not considered a Christian because I can identify with some of the lukewarm characteristics??
- Hopefully we already knew this, but Jesus is asking for all or nothing. You have to be willing to trust God with everything you have, or else that relationship with Him just won't work.
- Then he goes back and says that we shouldn't doubt our own salvation when we read this book. Everyone has ways they can improve, and no one Christian is perfect. I can't describe how relieved I was after I read this.
- Chan also posed a question that is worth pondering: how many of us would leave our families, our jobs, our homes and possessions if God asked us to? I know it'd be extremely difficult for me because, i'll admit I'm a bit materialistic (then again, isn't everyone?). I guess that's something that needs to be worked on. If I put my full trust in God, it would be a whole lot easier to leave everything behind.

This piece of artwork is colorful, yet subdued, creating an energetic yet peaceful feeling. The artist uses 3 pages from the bible, which makes the reader inquisitive. When I saw this, I was wondering why these 3 pages? Do they have certain meaning? Is the artist particularly religious or was a bible just a book that was laying around? At the same time, there are peacock feathers on top of the three pages, suggesting that there is a deeper meaning. While I am not sure what the peacock feathers mean, I would like to know. Talking to the artist, I would be interested in knowing what the meaning behind the pages and the feathers is.

Crazy Love; Pg 53-83

I hope it's not weird that I'm bringing God into my schoolwork, I've always thought it was kind of an awkward subject to bring into education because it's so controversial, but I guess if this offends you then don't read it haha.
So: Chapter 3 is where I believe we left off.
Chan shows the reader that most people think of God's love as a father's love. But then it get's really interesting. Chan tells a story of when he was a child, and it really made me think. He says that he always thought of God's love like a father's love, but it was different for him. When he was younger, his father used to beat him, and ended up dying when Chan was only 12 years old. He tried so hard to please his other "father", God, after that, but he eventually realized the difference between his blood father and God his father.
Chapter four is probably my favorite chapter of the whole book, because I can relate so much to it. It's called "profile of the lukewarm" and it talks about what is called a "lukewarm Christian." This is just a person who doesn't give there whole self to God, kind of like a "rainy day friend," someone who is only a Christian when it suites them. It's sad because Chan gives loads of examples of lukewarm Christians, and I feel like I can identify with quite a lot of them.
- lukewarm people only give their "leftover" money to God
- lukewarm people mostly choose what is popular over what is right and just (this is a big one for me)
- lukewarm people don't apologize because of their sin, but because they don't want to be punished by God
- lukewarm people rarely share their faith with others

Can you see yourself in any of these?? I know I can.

Crazy Love; Francis Chan pg 1-53

Ok, I know I was reading Lolita last week, and I seem to jump around a lot (I never finished the second or third books in the "Pretty Little Liar" series either), but I fully intend to go back and finish Lolita next week. Or something. It's a really good book. But this book, "Crazy Love,"is amazing. I heard about it and I got a copy for my friend for her birthday in January (although it's still sitting in my closet because I haven't given it to her yet haha).
Ok, so I read two chapters and the first chapter is pretty much all about coming face to face with God. Chan pretty much states that you can't forget about God's power, how all-knowing and all-powerful he is. He's pretty blunt about everything he says, so it really gets you when tells you to stop praying. Of course, that's not really what he means. But you'll have to read the chapter to figure it out for yourself!
Chapter two, titled "You may not finish this chapter" is pretty alarming. It really puts into perspective just how fragile life on earth is. We seem to fall into a rut and think that everything is stable. But in reality, we really need God more than we know, even when all seems to be going well. It makes you wonder if you're ready to be judged before God. Some interesting thoughts:
- What would people say about you at your funeral?
- What would God say about you at your funeral?

Lolita pg 76-103

Ok, so my suspicion was right, Mrs. Haze has been killed. But we'll get to that part later. Where we left off: as Humbert and Charlotte (Lolita's mom) prepare to get married, Charlotte begins redecorating the house, becoming more social, and acting extremely jealous. Humbert tries his best to make himself like her, because he knows it's the only way he will gain closeness with "his" Lolita. One thing that secretly upsets Humbert is Charlotte's obvious distaste for Lo. Charlotte thinks Lolita as nothing more than a conniving, naughty little girl, and wishes to send her off to boarding school. However, all these plans are cut short when, like I said earlier, Mrs. Haze is killed. Ok, you're probably wondering how and why this happened right?? Well, Mrs. Haze knew about a locked drawer in Humbert's study (in which he kept all his writings about Lolita), and she was dying to get into it, as she was a very jealous person. One day Humbert came home and she had broken into it to read all the creepy letters he had written. Humbert went to make a drink and decided to tell her it was all fiction, part of a book he was working on, but before he could he received a call saying that she had been run over by a car!
Clearly, Humbert didn't kill her, but it just worked out so nicely that as soon as Mrs. Haze found out, she was killed. And now, I can imagine Humbert must be incredibly happy because he will have Lolita all to himself. I feel so sorry for the poor girl because she doesn't even know what's going through his mind, or what he plans to do to her. And I certainly hope he doesn't hurt her.

Lolita pg 50-76

Humbert continues to admire Lolita from afar, andhe seems to get a little too much pleasure out of any contact he gets with the little unknowing 12 year old. Lolita ends up going off to camp for the summer, and Humbert is devastated, until he finds a letter from Lo's mother. In the letter, Lo's mom admits to being in love with Humbert and wishes to marry him. Humert takes this opportunity to get closer to Lo, and he pretends to be in love too. They prepare to get married, but all Humbert can think about is his soon-to-be stepdaughter... Creepy.
One of the points he makes is that she's not effected by his admiring. I guess that's true, if she doesn't know the sick thoughts Humbert is thinking, its no harm.... Right? I think Humbert is incredibly conniving for deciding to marry Mrs. Haze (Lolita's mother) in order to gain closer contact with Lo. This is totally unfair to Mrs. Haze, but I have a feeling she will be eliminated from the picture fairly soon anyways.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov pg 1-50

After anxiously waiting through the whole third quarter, I finally got my hands on a copy of Lolita. I remember being really interested in the book when the librarian discussed it, but by now I can't even remember what it's about. The first fifty or so pages are pretty much just an exposition of Humbert (the main character)'s early life. As a child, he was in love with a girl who ended up dying. Ever since then, he's had a weird fascination with young girls which he calls "nymphets." A nymphet is a girl between the age of 8 and 12. This would be normal... If Humbert was also between the ages of 8 and 12. However, Humbert is a fully grown man. And he should probably be arrested for having twisted thoughts like this. But whatever. At the part that I stopped at, he had just introduced the famous Lolita. Humbert moved into a household with Lolita and her mother. That's all I know so far, and the language I a little hard to understands sometimes but the story is pretty good so far.

tuesday response

I went through all of the three houses presented on "The Word" website, and I have to say I loved the first one. The other two were nice, but one was too chaotic and busy, while the other one was too rustic and old. The first one was modern and white, which creates a lively mood. The house seems spotless and that is rather calming and comforting.