Science (non) Fiction

Just for you, Kari, I took pictures (stealth pictures, even!) of the Christmas decorations at the house across the cul-de-sac from my parents - it’s hard to see, but it’s a merry-go-round, lit up from the inside, and then an igloo on the left (with something sitting on top of it - a polar bear maybe?) and then a Santa kinda behind the merry-go-round that doesn’t really show up in the pictures (I had to be sneaky, dangit! :lol:). What kind of cheer rating would they get?

(and there was another house in the neighborhood that had one of those huge blow-up snow-globes, which was the first one I’d seen outside of Walmart - hehe)

I don’t have a lot of time (I’m finally back at home after a long drive in holiday traffic and now hanging out with family), but here’s one of my favorite Christmas hymns - Derek Webb now has a new version that’s fabulous, you should check it out!

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the Virgin Mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger they found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

Continuing this week’s theme of Christmas songs, here is a new one to me called ‘The Glorious Impossible’ with words written by Gloria Gaither. (It’s also the name of a Madeleine L’Engle re-telling of Christmas, which just makes it even cooler )
I love the paradoxical way the song is set up, the ‘glorious impossibility’ of Christ’s birth to a virgin, His walking on water, His very human and divine nature. It definitely helps me to ‘marvel at this miracle’, even if I don’t understand it completely.

See the virgin is delivered
in a cold and crowded stall.
Mirror of the Father’s glory
lies beside her in the straw.

He is mercy’s incarnation.
Marvel at this miracle.
For the virgin gently holds
the Glorious Impossible.

Love has come to walk on water,
turn the water into wine.
Touch the leper, bless the children,
love both human and divine.

Praise the wisdom of the Father
who has spoken through His Son.
Speaking still, He calls us to
the Glorious Impossible.

He was bruised for our transgressions
and He bears eternal scars.
He was raised for our salvation
and His righteousness is ours.

Praise, oh praise Him!
Praise the glory
of this lavish grace so full.
Lift your souls now and receive
the Glorious Impossible.

~The Glorious Impossible, Gloria Gaither

I love this song from Michael W. Smith’s first (1989) Christmas album - this was on Bethany’s CD as well, but it’s been a favorite for a while. I love the way it encapsulates the Christmas story, from the birth to the angel’s appearance to the shepherds, all the while forshadowing Christ’s ultimate purpose in coming to earth as a baby, as God’s ‘final word’ to save His people.

In the space of the beginning
Was the living word of light
When this word was clearly spoken
All that came to be was right
All creation had a language
Words to say what must be said
All day long the heavens whispered
Signing words in scarlet red

Some had failed to understand it
So God spoke his final word
On a silent night in Judah’s hills
a baby’s cry was heard

Glory! sang the angel chorus
Glory! echoed back the night
Love has come to walk among us
Christ the lord is born this night

All creation sing his praises
Earth and heaven praise his name
All who live come join the chorus
Find the words his love proclaim

In thinking about Advent and Christmas, and listening to some beautiful Christmas music, I’ve come to believe in the importance of telling the entire story of redemption at Christmastime. Bethany got me thinking about this after reading her letter that came with her Christmas mix CD, on which she put several songs that talked about more than just the nativity story, but covered the whole salvation story from Christ’s birth to His resurrection and defeat of death. And songs that communicate the mystery of understanding the eternal-ness of God, while still being awestruck by the humility of His beginning here on earth. Wow.
So here’s a song from that mix, and while it’s hard to appreciate the entire beauty of it without hearing it, the words alone are pretty poignant. I’m thinking I’ll make this a series for this last week before Christmas, posting a new, favorite song every day (haha, we’ll see).

It’s still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small,
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven’s love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King,
You’re here with us
You’re here with us

It’s still a mystery to me, oh,
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel’s symphony,
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven’s love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
Here with us
You’re here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem
A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven’s love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
You’re here with us
You’re here with us

~Here with Us, Joy Williams

So I’m going to copy Kari here again and hope she doesn’t hate me for it

I put together a mix CD for some friends with my favorite Christmas music - it’s kinda a mix of new and old stuff for me, with a lot of the music I grew up listening to, plus some of the music I’ve grown to love in the last few years. Here’s a list of the songs, and why I put them on the CD.

1. You make it feel like Christmas by Neil Diamond. A fun one to start things off – I used to hate Neil Diamond, and it’s been a recent addition, but I’ve grown to like this one.

2. In the bleak midwinter by The Robert Shaw Chamber Singer. This is one of my favorite carols, and my college choral director instilled a great love of Robert Shaw in me during chamber singer rehearsals, so this seemed like the best version.

3. Baby it’s cold outside by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan. I only heard this song for the first time maybe two years ago, and I love it (from watching ‘Elf’). I’m a big fan of Ella, and this version balances the male and female parts really well.

4. Darlin’ (Christmas is coming) by Over the Rhine. One of the acoustic sketched from OtR’s new Christmas album pre-release – I wasn’t sure about putting this on here, but I figured if I had the real album, I would have put the real song on, so you get this one, which I LOVE.

5. Song for a winter’s night by Sarah McLachlan. This is a new one for me, I didn’t even know she had a Christmas album til a couple weeks ago, and I really like this song – her voice goes well with the haunting melody – kinda melancholy, but I like it.

6. Child of love by Sara Groves. I’m new to the Sara Groves fandom, but I really like her voice, and she doesn’t have many Christmas songs. This one is awesome.

7. There were shepherds… by Handel. This is actually a series of three short arias/recitatives from Messiah, sung by the soprano. It tells about the angels appearing to the shepherds, leading into the next song.

8. Glory to God by Handel. The chorus immediately following the set of arias above. The soprano sets up the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, and the chorus enters as the angels, singing ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth’, with the orchestra eventually fading away as the angels return to heaven. Lovely.

9. Silent Night (duet) by Over the Rhine. This is probably my favorite song from OtR’s first Christmas album, Darkest Night of the Year. The traditional but non-traditional sound of this carol is beautiful.

10. Love has come by Amy Grant. I know Amy Grant is cheesy, but this album (and her other Christmas album) is a big part of what Christmas feels like to me. This is one of the first Christmas songs I remember.

11. Blue Christmas by Harry Connick Jr. I adore HCJr (what can I say, I’m a sappy girl), and this is a kinda fun twist on an old Christmas favorite.

12. Welcome to our world by Chris Rice. I love this song, and I particularly like Chris Rice’s voice (though I have to say, I don’t hate MWS’s version either). I love the ‘bring your peace into our violence’ part especially.

13. All I want for Christmas is you by Olivia Nelson. This is the version from Love Actually, and while it’s kinda cheesy (it’s sung by the little girl who was in the movie, who’s like 12 or something), it’s a fun song.

14. Ave Maria by Andrea Bocelli. This isn’t the traditional Schubert version, but I love Andrea Bocelli’s voice, and I like this version, especially after hearing the Schubert version butchered by every other singer around the holidays.

15. I’ve got my love to keep me warm by Dean Martin. A swoony holiday song, and this version seems classic to me.

16. Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. I almost put Sara Groves version on here, but I’m really used to Amy Grant’s version – so for better or worse, that’s the version here.

17. White Christmas by Otis Redding. This is also from the Love Actually soundtrack, and I kinda like the mellow, jazzy feel of this version, instead of the lounge-y feeling of others.

18. O Little town of Bethlehem by Over the Rhine. Another favorite from Darkest Night of the Year – one of my favorite carols too.

19. What are you doing New Year’s Eve? by Harry Connick Jr. Another swoony holiday song (though not strictly Christmas-y).

20. God rest ye merry gentlemen/We three Kings by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. I know people have been saying this is overplayed, but I’ll be honest and say I’d never heard it til this year – and now I love it, and it’s fun, so it seemed like a good way to wrap up!

What do you listen to most this time of year? What sounds like Christmas to you? I’ve gotten one of the Christmas mixes from our exchange circle, and it’s great (thanks Bethany!) - lots of emphasis on the waiting and anticipation associated with the Advent of Jesus. It’s been kinda slow for me this year, building up to the excitement I normally experience with Christmas, but I’m well on my way now

My paper has finally made it through all the red tape of publishing, and is now officially ‘in print’ in the Journal of Bacteriology!!! Go here to read the abstract, or the whole paper if you have a subscription to JB (as I’m sure so many of you do ).
I came in this morning to lab to see a copy on my desk, which is the signal from my boss that someone in the lab has gotten a paper published - still seems a bit surreal for it to be my name on the paper, and not some older student’s - and then I realize, with a horrified gasp, that I *am* that ‘older student’ - gah! Oh well, one more step on my way out the door with my degree…

That’s right, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have won their first ACC Championship since 1970 against Georgia Tech with a score of 9-6!!! They’ve had an awesome season, and the students here are PUMPED about seeing their team play in the Orange Bowl in less than a month. My boss (and his sophomore WFU son) were at the championship game in Jacksonville and he said it was awesome to see it in person - I figured his son might have talked him into trying to go to the Orange Bowl, but no dice apparently.