Caleb came to visit!

Oh how I love my dear dear brother Caleb. And also my dear dear brother Danny at who's house he was staying! And oh how I love Allison and Jelly-Belly Janelly!! And oh HOW wonderful was yesterday!!! God is so good! Amazing how quickly these friendship fall right back into place.

First me and the boys played: We played at value village, we played pool, and we played the game of Life.

The Janell and Allison joined us for pizza and coffee and things REALLY got interesting...

Oh goodness... I am truly blessed!

The essence of thanksgiving...

....for me and at least 6 other people lies in these words:

Dead Skunk
Loudon Wainwright III

Crossin' the highway late last night
He shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right
He didn't see the station wagon car
The skunk got squashed and there you are!

You got yer
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin' to high Heaven!

Take a whiff on me, that ain't no rose!
Roll up yer window and hold yer nose
You don't have to look and you don't have to see
'Cause you can feel it in your olfactory

You got yer
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin' to high Heaven!

Yeah you got yer dead cat and you got yer dead dog
On a moonlight night you got yer dead toad frog
Got yer dead rabbit and yer dead raccoon
The blood and the guts they're gonna make you swoon!

You got yer
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin' to high Heaven!
C'mon stink!
You got it!
It's dead, it's in the middle
Dead skunk in the middle!
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin' to high heaven!

All over the road, technicolor man!
Oh, you got pollution
It's dead, it's in the middle
And it's stinkin' to high, high Heaven!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I know it's rather cliche' to post on a holiday like this, but I don't care. I LOVE Thanksgiving! It's quite possibly my favorite holiday. I mean... Christmas is great... but there is rarely stuffing. I love stuffing, I love turkey (dark meat please!), I love mashed potatoes, I love rolls, I love green bean cassorole, I love apple pie! I love gathering with the Holtons and our family, just the same way every year since I was 4 or 5. I love thinking of all of the things I am thankful for. I love conucopias (how DO you spell that?) and corn-husk dolls, and little kids dressed in paper costumes of pilgrims and indians that they made at school. I love fancy table settings - using our chrystal goblets and cloth napkins. I even enjoy peeling potatoes with my mom. And finally I LOVE the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade!
Thank you God for for Thanksgiving!
I hope all of you are having a WONDERFUL one.

The just don't make 'em like they used to.

Now, I don't mean this in reference to real guys - because I know some really great ones who are even younger than me. But when it comes to celebrity... well yeah... why don't they come like this anymore? It just doesn't get better than James Dean and young Marlon Brando now does it?

James Dean - died tragically in a car accident after making only 3 movies. Undoubtedly the hottest man to ever live.

Marlon Brando - ladies if you're ever in the mood for a little eye candy just rent "A Street Car Named Desire" - you won't be sorry, believe me.

Good old fashioned journaling.

I didn't actually take this picture today... I took it on Tuesday, but I loved the trees today so I wanted to share them with you all. I love Laurelhurst in the fall - if you ever come to Portland in the fall make sure and go to the Laurelhurst area. So pretty.
I just wanted to post a little thank you to my Lord for making such a lovely day today. It was actually rather stinging cold, but the events were lovely, and the bright sunshine was lovely - even if not warm. I slept in till 9:30 (my personal FAVORITE time of day to get up) then got to church by 11. I met a nice girl at church, we were both flying solo today and sitting in our pew alone Before the service so we met each other. She was really nice. Then I spent a couple hours downtown. I browsed around Powells (one of the largest new and used bookstores... in the world I think... it's huge anyway) had a panini in their coffee shop where I read my freshly purchased $0.60 book of Poe short stories and my bible (funny combo I realize... it works in Portland though) then I looked around a couple vintage shops nearby, found about the hottest dress ever... I couldn't buy it because it was too hot actually, plus I don't have any money. Then at 4 I met Allison and her friend Emily at the theater and we watched the new Harry Potter, which was very good and it made me happy to see Allison so excited! Then Ally and I came back to our house and ate omelets and talked for a while. Then I did the dishes and now I'm posting on my blog.
So... there's nothing there that should really interest anyone to read... but I just wanted to thank God for the little things and the lovely days that make this life not only bearable but really enjoyable!

Tears.

It's a sad day to be a Beaver Believer. I'm not even going to post the final score. It's ok guys, we'll get 'em next year! Maybe since I'm in Portland this year I'll actually root for the Ducks at their bowl game. No... probably not... how could I cheer for they who have stolen my joy?! OSU - my heart is yours alone! Even if you did suck even more than you were supposed to.

"Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty, I Pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of Their Titles"
- The title of a poem by Billy Collins

Story of the day

Today before my history class I found my self in the middle of a little scufuffle (is that a word? I think so... anyway, I'm going to use it cuz it's cool either way) about the role of Greece in impacting the future. Basically this guy started trying to argue that they benifitted the world in no way what-so-ever. We pretty much just gaped at him. His only basis for this argument was "All the same philosopies were being thought up in India at the same time." "Western civilization sucks and is mean and Western thinking is stupid" - I guess therefore devaluing the importance to anyone who contributed to it's origin,and "Greek philosophers questioned everything but themselves"... not to mention the travesty of Socrates apparently being a "pompus ass." I'm pretty sure he just made most of this information up on the spot. I was kind of mean. I told him he was really bad at arguing. His response to that was to give me a sarcastic look and say "ah, yeah, ok..." reeeaall sarcastically and I responded to that - yep, see that's exactly what I mean - you're really bad at arguing. And then I was like, shoot! that was kinda mean... but I'll be honest, I didn't feel bad about it.

look at my hair!

Goodness sakes, can you believe how long my hair is getting? I'm enjoying it quite a lot. Today was a rare occasion on which I wore it down so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a photo with ya'll. Mmmm... yeah I think that's about it for today. Just some good old fashioned self-centered posting (is there really any other kind?)

This whole studying thing just isn't working out for me so well today...

another mini sermon

1 Corinthians 4:3-5 totally rocked me last night. I don't know how I have missed this for so long but it is so important. I'll quote it for those who don't have a bible handy:

"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed I do not even judge myself. My concience is clear, but that does not make my innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of mens hearts."

How often do I engage in the act of "introspection" searching out all that is evil in my heart to bring it to light. How often my prayers begin "Oh Lord! I am so awful, so prideful, so sinful!" or even "Oh Lord, I am awful because I don't see myself as the horribly sinful person that I truly am!" I do this because it's what I think I'm supposed to do. I think, how will I ever change if I don't engage in this self-judgement? But my thinking is wrong! It's not for me to judge, and it's not for me to change! It's HIS job, not mine. I often take the verse "search me and know my evil ways" to mean that I should search me but really it's asking Him to search me! Thinking that I have to do it is not trusting that he will!
So I am not negating the need for continual repentance - but that is over individual sins as we see them, it is NOT despairing over my sin nature at large as I so often do. Also, it may seem like this is just leaving it all up in the air, like I am ignoring the kind of person I really am - well maybe I am, but it doesn't stay there, I ignore it SO THAT I can put all of that introspective engergy into seeking HIM. The freedom is trusting that HE is working on me as long as I am seeking him.
I know I'd read those verses a dozen times before but my focus was always on the part about not caring if I'm judged by other men or not judging other men myself - but what a great little sentence in v. 4! This is the answer I have been looking for for a while now. It's a whole new level of freedom beyond what I have heretofore known! Praise the Lord!

Another has joined our force!

Brothers and Sisters of the blogging community I would now like you to raise your glasses in celebration and acceptance of the newest member of the Capernwray Blogging Community - Mr. BRENT POTTER! That's right this fiiiine specimin of God's creation who you will see to your right here (no not me, HIM) is all geared up and ready to take the blogging world by storm. To welcome our newest brother into the fold please visit http://brentsufrypan.blogspot.com/
Thank you and Goodnight.

What's in a name?

Ok, I'm not sure I should post this because it catches me being extremely boring, to say the least, but here's the deal. I was waiting for something to download and it was taking a while so I was like hm, what shall I do? So I googled a couple of my friend's names. Then I googled my own name "Pamela Joy Schnake" and get this - I'm not the only one! Not only that but this other one was born Sep. 10, 1958 and I was born Sep. 12, 1985. Coincidence?!Well yeah probably... but seriously though, how many Pamela's do you know? Then how many Schnake's do you know? Then factor in a third element of a middle name... it's just weird. I'm going to have to hunt her down and reclaim my title.

This time last year...

...I was in Dublin with this beautiful group of people. Ah, good times and good memories. Travel Weekend.

Wisdom and obedience

Job 28:12-28 is a discourse on wisdom spoken by Job somewhere between 1000-2000 BC and recorded a few hundred years later by the author of Job somewhere between 950-400 BC. It begins with vs. 12-13 stating: "But where can wisdome be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth..." and ending with vs. 28 "And (God) said to man, 'The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'"
The concept of wisdom is one of the most common themes throughout scripture and specifically throughout the Old Testament. As I reflect on the context in which these words were spoken my perception of that concept changes rather dramatically. We must realize that Job lived at a time most probably pre-written word and therefore pre-books of the law. He had no scripture from which to gain understanding of God. Furthermore this was long before the gift of the Holy Spirit was given so the majority of Old Testament characters - and nothing would imply that Job was an exception - operated without the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore their knowledge of God and of this law consisted mainly of traditions passed down from Adam, or at least from Noah, and their access to God and interaction with him consisted primarily of obedience to the law. This obedience to the law is basically what "wisdom" is defined as several times throughout scripture. As we see that these men had very real and active relationships with God there must really be something to this, relationship can be and was gained through the means of obedience.
As I look at the abundance of recources we have to draw from to gain our understanding of God and to pursue relationship with him I amazed how how richly we are blessed. We have not only the Holy Spirit to commune with and veritable unlimited access to scripture (something unheard of until only a 300 years ago or so) but also a profusion of other written recources and teaching. All of this is good and should be used as a means of pursuing God but in light of all this access to "knowledge" of God, have we neglected to truly prusue "wisdom" from him in the way that Job speaks. Even still with all that we have the root of wisdom has not changed and there access to communion with God - to fear him and to shun evil. Jesus life is the perfect example of the melding of all of these. While Jesus studied scripture emmensely and communed with God by means of the Holy Spirit at all times he also did not neglect the FURTHER "practice" of "wisdom" or of fearing God and shunning evil - in fact had he neglected this the cross would have held no power at all.
So I think it is good to imagine what it would be like if we did not have scripture and we did not have the Holy Spirit to give us insight and understanding - we would be left with obedience of God's laws as our key recource to interaction with God. Maybe then we would love it the way David does in Psalm 119 and not begrudge it as the less-enjoyable part of our faith which we are required to do.

As long as we're reccomending music...

...I'd have to give a big old reccomendation to this cd: Moon Pix by Cat Power. I could reccomend a whole lot of cds right now but this one is my current top. The following is my favorite verse/chorus from my favorite song on that album:

It's so hard to go in the city
'Cause you wanna say hello to everybody
It's so hard to go into the city
'Cause you wanna say hey I love you to everybody
When we were teenagers we wanted to be the sky
Now all we wanna do is go to red places
And try to stay outta hell

It must be the colors
And the kids
That keep me alive
'Cause the music is boring me to death

Just checking...

So you all know don't you that you didn't need to download skype to talk to each other because you can just use MSN to do the exact same thing and we all mostly have that already? I mean, skype is cool and all... but yeah, not so much necessary. My brother in law informed me of that and I was like, oh yeah, duh. You can use it to call real telephones though... but then it's not free anymore. Anyway, that's all I've got for today . I'm sick and in bed and bored/boring.