Of Pianos and Pastries

On Friday evening Bekah, Arely, Un Joo, and I attended a piano recital. After waiting in a line outside the theater in the winter wind, we wound our way through the crowds gathered around the coffee bar and the ushers up to the balcony. (Un Joo isn't in the picture because she took the picture for us after all our attempts at self-portraits failed.)

We enjoying music of Beethoven's 26th Piano Sonata, Brahms 16 Waltzes, 2 Chopin ballades, Schumann's Symphonic Etudes, and an encore by Liszt. We had lovely seats in the front of the balcony looking right down onto the keyboard!

The concert was in a theater - the walls were full of golden scroll-work, highly romanticized silhouettes of people, and, arching over the stage, great heads with gaping mouths. Here you can see the boxes with red velvet curtains. (I don't think they had been dusted recently...the curvy tops of the curtains looked slightly gray-ish...)

Ever wondered what it's like to have those faces watch you for two hours? The mushroom-things are sound-reflectors. (Sshhh, don't tell anyone, but the people-watching fun goes up about 110% in a building packed with music nerds!!!)

The next morning we celebrated Bekah's half-birthday (since her birthday is during the summer) with breakfast at a Swiss pastry shop.

Between hazelnut and and almond pastries, hot chocolate, and the lemons in the drinking water, it was an entertaining breakfast...

...and a wonderful weekend.

"Happy Are They Who Are Christ’s"

O God, Thou art very great,

My lot is to approach Thee with godly fear and humble confidence, for Thy condescension equals Thy grandeur, and Thy goodness is Thy glory.

I am unworthy, but Thou dost welcome; guilty, but Thou art merciful; indigent, but Thy riches are unsearchable.

Thou hast shown boundless compassion towards me by not sparing Thy Son, and by giving me freely all things in Him;

This is the foundation of my hope, the refuge of my safety, the new and living way to Thee, the means of that conviction of sin, brokenness of heart, and self-despair, which will endear to me the gospel.

Happy are they who are Christ’s, in Him at peace with Thee, justified from all things, delivered from coming wrath, made heirs of future glory;

Give me such deadness to the world, such love to the Saviour, such attachment to His house, such devotedness to His service, as proves me a subject of His salvation.

May every part of my character and conduct make a serious and amiable impression on others, and impel them to ask the way to the Master.

Let no incident of life, pleasing or painful, injure the prosperity of my soul, but rather increase it.

Send me Thy help, for Thine appointments are not meant to make me independent of Thee, and the best means will be vain without super-added blessings.

- "Confidence" from Valley of Vision

Being Happy

There are many things in life that make Celeste happy…

Chillin’ with friends

Going to concerts

Visiting old churches

The Piano

My Sister

Coffee (preferably from Melinda:)

Books

Studying Being “mischievous” (in a good way, of course!)

The happiest time of my life has been these last 4 years of Bible college – friends, experiences, and “Bible college humor,” but the biggest joy has been the joy God gives in studying His Word. Growing up, I knew that studying God’s Word was supposed to bring happiness, but at Bible school, I experienced that happiness more and more.

January begins the final semester of Bible college, and recently I’ve been thinking about things like The Outside World and A Job and Rent, and other related matters which look more pressing then they did two years ago… (All of you college seniors out there can relate to this:) I realized that I was going to leave Bible school and go into the world and live ordinary life away from Bible classes, Greek, and systematic theology lectures. Scripture would still be the important thing, but I wouldn’t be able to study it 8 hours every day. And slowly, my enthusiasm for serving God in the Great Big Outside World seeped away because I was afraid that I wouldn’t be happy out there…

Then, on Friday evening, Valley of Vision reminded me that Things in Life never make people happy:

Thou who art righteous,

Let me not…seek satisfaction in things that perish.

What makes people happy in Bible school? Is it really Bible school or is it the delighting in God that Bible school taught about? If I’m afraid that I won’t be happy out in The World and Working a Normal Job, then I’m being satisfied by things that perish. May Christ be that which gives me happiness, not just Things.

“In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Ps. 16:11)