Joyfully Singing

Dear companions. As we close out yet another advent season, I want to encourage you all, along with myself, not to let the reality of "God With Us" slip away with the season. It's easy in this world of skeptics and mockers of the supernatural to take Christ's birth as only a symbol or a nice story. To keep it at arms length lest we be laughed at or not taken seriously.       The fact is, in spite of today's declarations of relativity, everyone believes some sort of truth, and bows down to it. You will not find a person alive who doesn't believe fully and absolutely in something. So what will you believe in? Some people believe in themselves. For me, I've only found in myself a disappointing circus of failures. Some believe in money and physical wealth. I've found that in no way can wealth bring people together, or fill the void in someone's heart. Some believe in people, but people betray, kill, steal and commit such atrocities that tear apar...

        We've all had hard things happen in our lives. I know I haven't had many trials to speak of, but still, I don't think any of can say we've led a painless life, untouched by the sin that ravages our world. This afternoon as I was reading the world magazine and getting myself tied up into a knot by all the crazy madness that is going on in this world of angst, I  suddenly had to lay it down and remind myself that it wasn't my job to worry about what every politician was scheming and what every country was plotting against its citizens. My job is to be faithful in the sphere in which God has put me. To do the best I can to water my own square of ground. To weed the garden plot over which I've been given oversight.       Still, though, the cares of life just seem to always creep in nonetheless. I wonder sometimes, how we are able to actually have joy when we truly comprehend the sin and evil that is perpetrated eve...

          Christmas should be joyful. It should be one of the happiest seasons of the year. Perhaps that first Christmas was not only heralding joy but bringing a promise of real joy to come; that joy of which we we have now is only a shadow.    Fear not! Today's carol is not "Joy to The World" we've all heard it too many times this season.       Instead, a song that's a little less performed and far newer, but absolutely beautiful.    You may have heard of a Christian song called "In Christ Alone." written by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. Well, this magnificent and triumphant Christmas hymn was written by the same duo.     "Joy Has Dawned" is so rich lyrically that I'm posting the lyrics below. Let me know if you've heard it and if not, what you think. Joy has dawned upon the world, Promised from creation— God’s salvation now unfurled, Hope for ev’ry nation. Not with fa...

           What is the heart of Christmas? Answers vary, I believe, but I think we can agree that love is at it's depths. It's part of the reason I hate the way people are trying to turn it into a day centered around Santa Claus and presents. It seems to be that we're losing, in that, most of the purpose of Christmas.      The night love came down as a babe in a manger. Love, the most powerful force on earth. One that is neither idealistic or make-believe, and yet cannot be contacted with any of the physical senses. Love is the authority to which all others bow, the conqueror of the mightiest kings, the deadliest sins. Love; a word so easily turned on its head and made to mean something contemptible. A word which only begins to touch a reality too deep for any of us to truly comprehend.       I don't think I have anything more to say on that score, so I'll give you your song now. You see...

         Speaking strictly for myself. Fear is huge part of what drives life. Fear of failure, fear of disappointing people I care about, fear of rejection, fear of wasting my life and talents, fear of not being able to do what needs to be done, fear of how others will perceive me, fear of being wrong.        If I'm not careful these fears can almost completely rule my actions. It's something I've lived with so long that I begin to forget just how much fear is meshed into the very fabric of my moral character. That, in itself, is frightening. It's one thing to know one shouldn't fear those things, it's one thing to try to act in spite of those fears, it's another to actually get rid of them.        When the angel came to the Shepherds that night, he opened his speech with the one liner every angel in recorded history has had to say when dealing with people.     "Do n...

         I think last year I mentioned something about European's fascination with mixing snow and Christmas carols. It's true that 'most every European Christmas carol in existence manages to sneak something in about either snow or the fact that it was a very cold winter night. And yet, the fact remains, that in the country of Israel depending on what time of year the incarnation actually took place, there was very probably no snow, and it's four to one that it wasn't a bitterly cold winter night. Regardless, I still sing these beautiful old carols, and a lot of them still contain very profound nuggets of truth, nonetheless.         I'm going to share with you one of my very favorite carols, up there with "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."    This is "Es ist Ein Ros Einsprungen," or, as you will know it, "Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming."     I don't intend t...

       It is a curious fact that one of the most effective means of inspiring gratitude is by contemplating on the means of somebody worse off than oneself. Even more intriguing is the truth that almost all of us were better off in our earlier years than Christ was. I don't think any of us decked a manger as our first cradle. And I'd be rather surprised if you told me your parents had to flee the country shortly after you were born due to an evil king wanting you dead.       In this little known song I'm going to share with you, Isaac Watts, hymn writing genius that he was, uses this theme as a lullaby. In the form of a mother singing her baby to sleep. I fell in love with this simple little little verse that I'm thinking I might just memorize it and sing my babies to sleep with it someday.        Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you "A Cradle Hymn" wherein a mother first soothes her child with the reco...

        I don't know about you, but I like to not think sometimes. I often like to  turn off one of the most precious gifts God gave to man because I hate facing whatever reality has just slapped me in the face and demanded some serious thought.        Yes, I pride myself on being a thoughtful person, but when something complicated in a bad way drops itself into my lap. I spend an awful lot of effort attempting not to think about it. Because maybe...if I don't think about it....it will just dissolve itself....and I won't have to worry about it. Problem is....it never does. It just gets bigger and messier until I'm forced to deal with it. Why we human beings like to do that to ourselves is a question for philosophers to ponder during lunch break. For now, I'll just be content with saying that, at least for me, not thinking about things because it takes work, or because I'm afraid, is not a good thing.   ...

       I recently heard a lecture regarding fiction writing, and one of the things said really stood out. He said, our job as writers is not to unravel a mystery but rather to infuse wonder into one. We aren't about removing mystery from the world, simply changing the way one feels about something grand and full of wonder. I found this a unique and clarifying perspective. After all isn't there that part in each of us that loves a good mystery not necessarily because it will be fun to solve but simply because it is mysterious? As for me, it sends shivers down my spine when I am forced to wonder about something I may never comprehend, and half the reason I love cloudy, rainy and foggy days is because it always feels mysterious.        Right now while my future is thickly obscured and my desires hang in a perilous balance, I've realized that wonder isn't such a bad thing. In fact it's a thing to be cherished, to be exulted in. ...

         "These days children have their TVs and video games," she said with a dismissive tone, "but back when I was young we used to play games together. We would get together with all the children in the neighborhood and go down to the brook together..." she sighed, "we used to do things together."    As I listened to dear Mrs. R. reminisce, I realized that her complaint was precisely why I like Christmas so much. We've done a good job in this tech age of ours to provide people with solitary entertainment. People can amuse themselves to death without ever setting foot outside their doorstep, or actually speaking with another individual.      Around the festive season, however, things tend to change a bit for most people. More parties are thrown, families gather together, special events are held, and at what other time of the year do people get together to sing from door to door? Certainly not in the bleak month ...

        Do forgive me, my friends, we are once again in that glorious time of year, and I began it by forgetting that it was twelve days to Christmas yesterday. So, this year, we shall have eleven carols of Christmas!     There we are.     This week began with something that North Carolina rarely sees before Christmas and hardly ever beholds for more than a day.    It snowed. Not only that, it snowed for two days in succession, on and off, and we got about eight inches in total, highly irregular, but greatly appreciated by me at least. There was a bit of disappointment at first regarding an event, it caused me to miss, but in the end, I was able to simply enjoy this, frosty and beautiful commodity we receive so little hereabouts.     It was nice to have snow on the ground and Christmas decorations set about, it made me feel like I was in one of Thomas Kinkade's paintings, which, in spite of...

         Have you ever felt like the world is a burden you are honored to bear upon your shoulders in full? Has it ever seemed like you are the genius just waiting to be discovered? Who will save a billion lives through your ingenuity? Who will touch a thousand hearts with your wisdom and boundless love? Have you ever felt that every failure, every road block is a disappointment to the expectant world? That you are failing people and potential with every misstep and every hesitation?       Welcome to my world, dear readers, this is what I combat every single waking moment. We can put  it into a simpler format here: Hubris.       I use Hubris here because the word tends to encompass a little more than Pride does to modern ears. Hubris is the embodiment of things we call the Hero Complex, the Savior Complex, or the God Complex. To a degree, everyone of us struggle with some hubris in our lives...

        Okay, here's the post you've all been waiting for...maybe? I know I've been pretty quiet on the blogger front recently as to what my future aspirations are, but I figured it's time to come out with it and tell you all what I've been brewing lately.          In less than a week I will be applying to one of the top ten most prestigious Universities in the world, ranked most prestigious outside the U.S. Not only does that make it one of the hardest to get into, but also demands a highly rigorous course of study.     The School: University of Cambridge, England.       I know, kind of big. So, with these obstacles, why am I, Christianna Elise Hellwig, an unknown musician in NC who studied at a no name institute in New Jersey, attempting to get into one of the most famed Schools in the land?       Well firstly, my friends, let's clear something up. Ne...

        Two days ago was Independence day. Some people go to the beach on that day, some host a barbecue party. Some set off an abundance of fire crackers. Some use it as an excuse for large family gatherings.      I went to a cemetery.      It wasn't a historic one with any auspicious monuments either. Simply an average run-of-the-mill cemetery which I reached by trekking through a school parking lot and a tobacco field.         This might have been more appropriate on memorial day, but I suppose that, as much as I wanted to rejoice with everyone else in the founding of our country, I wanted to remember those who had died to keep our country the way it was made to be. Yes, even in the little Rolesville Cemetery, fallen soldiers are laid to rest. Inscriptions such as, "He died so that others would live free," "He served his country," or "A life of sacrifice" engrave simp...

          I've never met anybody who finds his joy in saying goodbye. In truth, there have been multiple occasions when I secretly rejoiced to say goodbye, but aside from those, ahem, very justifiable occasions *coughs*, farewells are rarely pleasant occasions. In fact, it's interesting how the phrase is softened in German. "Auf Wiedersehen," is literally translated Until We Meet Again. The goodbye comes with the hopeful assurance that there will be a reunion.    I think perhaps, it's because in the pith of our souls, we all understand that goodbyes aren't meant to be. We are eternal beings, we long for a reunion which never ends.     At least that's the way I see it. This year I had to say goodbye not just to some very wonderful people, but to a whole chapter of my life. I've been taking violin lessons for about five years now, with the same teachers, a wonderful husband and wife team, and this year they and I ...

           Most of you who know me, also are quite aware that I've never been the popular girl; the life of the party, the girl who everybody wants to be because she's always encircled by her friends.         On the contrary, I'm always on the fringe of the conversation; I'm the girl who doesn't even circle the popular one. I'm the one who stands against the wall, minding her own business and forbidding with her eyes anyone who might contemplate doing something else.       Don't mistake my meaning, this doesn't mean I'm not well liked or that I have some sort of trouble talking with people. Well, okay, we all admit the latter issue is difficult for most of as much of the time. However, I don't think I have any greater problem with it than anyone else. No, my problem is a little different then all that. My problem is one of my own making.      ...