A Connection I made in some Christian rock songs... 4:13 PM

"Rock-N-Rule" by Emery; "Faust, Midas, and Myself" by Switchfoot; "In the Valley of the Dying Sun" by House of Heroes


These three songs are tied not only by their genre (Christian rock), but also by the inclusion of the literary archetype of the wise old man or sage. The wise old man or sage as an archetype has characterstics of wisdom, kindness, "older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become" (Wikipedia), and also sometimes a supernatural sense of wisdom.

In "Rock-N-Rule" by Emery, the speaker in the song describes going to Champaigne, Illinois, "where the corn is as high as any God ever made." There, he meets the wise sage alongside the road and asks him for directions, who tells him to continue heading South. After telling the sage that he had no time to waste, the old man tells him that he doesn't have faith, which leads into the song's message or theme: a wake-up call.

In "Faust, Midas, and Myself" by Switchfoot, the speaker in the song has a dream about "an old man who tracked" him home and "put his foot inside the door." The old man is described as something that made the speaker's "skin crawl off," and that would be a hyperbole (an exaggeration). This gives the "supernatural" description to the old man, which could mean that he is the sage (or is he Satan? All good songs/ literature give room for interpretation.) The old man in this song asks the speaker what he wishes for most. The speaker then wakes up from the dream as Midas, who turned his wife and children into gold because he had wished to be able to touch anything and turn it into gold. He wokes up again without the gold, and he realized the wake-up call that the old man had for him.

In "In the Valley of the Dying Sun" by House of Heroes, the speaker in the song describes going on a journey through the valley of the dying sun, where he meets a "shadow of man with an angel's breath". This man is probably an angel, especially when it describes the speaker wrestling the angel later in the song; however, when he says that he sees the speaker's future, he transforms into more of the sage archetype. By adding the sage in this song, it gives the speaker wisdom or a wake-up call.

The inclusion of the archetype of the sage or wise, old man teaches the speaker of each of these songs a lesson or a moral to live by. The song with inserted message is now a didactic tool used in order to both entertain and to teach listeners. And in each of these songs the speaker, looking for directions, gets his wish - the way he needs to go.



"Faust, Midas, and Myself" lyrics : http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Faust-Midas-And-Myself-lyrics-Switchfoot/CE9709909BB02CF648257226000DBDE9

"In the Valley of the Dying Sun" lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/house_of_heroes/in_the_valley_of_the_dying_sun.html

"Rock-N-Rule" lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/e/emery/rock_n_rule.html





.......



So, yeah. I just made the connection while I was listening to these songs, and I couldn't focus on studying for finals until I had written this.

The Deringer Family Christmas 12:49 PM

Since Megan wrote her Christmas constitution, I thought I'd go ahead and write something on the subject of Christmas traditions. This is more like a narrative of what usually happens on Christmas day. We aren't too picky about how our tree is or anything, but after the narrative of what goes on, I may elaborate on how things usually look.




Our Christmas at our house:

Clint and Cody wake up first, and start bugging people about getting up. Cody slowly creaks my door open and pokes his head in to see what I'm doing. In recent years, I've just been in bed, even though I'm really awake and know exactly when he comes in.

Then, he whispers, "Sarah? Sarah, are you up? It's Christmas!" Then, when I don't respond but am smiling and trying not to laught out loud, he slips back out and slowly creaks my door closed. After this, they go get Mom and Dad up, and I just lay in bed to a NORMAL hour of the morning, like 8 am or 9 am.

Then, Dad comes in my room and says, "Sarah, your brothers are wanting to open up their presents. You probably want to come on, just so they can get it over with." So, I get up and get dressed in what I deem acceptable to be looking like on Christmas morning (I dread seeing the Christmas morning pictures). I also probably try and fix my hair a little and put in my contacts, but sometimes not.

Mom is in the kitchen making coffee and trying to wake up, and the coffeemaker is playing it's everyday song of waking up. Christmas music is playing in the CD player, and either Dad or I turn it down (he usually turns it off).

We call Nana before we start opening presents because she is Christmas Queen, and she has already brought presents and placed them under the tree a few days before Christmas. She brings the presents in a laundry basket, and they're always well-wrapped and ribboned. And on some of them, we get new Christmas ornaments, and they're always really pretty and have our names written on them.

Once Nana is here, we all crowd into the new room, where the Christmas tree and all the presents are. Dad has his camera and is ready to start taking pictures. Clint and Cody have already ripped through some of their presents, but I'm waiting on mine because I know I'll have less and less presents every year. < insert my feeling: Yuck.> Then, I start opening my presents. First, I start with my stocking, which is filled with awesome goodness.

My Christmas Stocking - Sarah Beth

My stocking has my name on it, and it has a duck on it. I don't know much about it, except that I absolutely LOVE this stocking.

Okay, I'll stop digressing and continue. After each present is opened, Dad will take pictures. Clint or Cody will end up passing out presents to hurry everyone up - hoping they'll have another Christmas present hidden under the rest of the presents. Then, they'll say, "Thank you," and go play with whatever they got for Christmas. I'll continue opening the rest of my presents, and then, I'll watch Mom, Dad, and Nana open their presents. After that is all over with, I'll double check Mom's stocking because she has forgotten to check hers in the past and has left $50 in her stocking for a year. I was the one who found it.

Then, we'll start making breakfast, and we'll have a good, big breakfast together as a family. Then, either on Christmas Day or the day after, we'll go to Aunt Connie's for more Christmas presents and Christmas dinner. And that's a-whole-nother story.

Okay, that's the basic gist of our Christmas mornings. A few other tidbits of Christmas.

1. Clint and Cody are in charge of decorating the porch(es) with lights and decorations.

2. I'm still sorry about dropping Mom's U.K. ornament (even though she says it's okay).

3. I'm wondering right now what Sadie will do when she sees the Christmas tree. That will be interesting.

4. We will be cleaning and organizing for the Christmas decorating over Thanksgiving break, but we may or may not be decorating until about December 10th or so. We'll see how busy we get.

There's not much going on... 7:14 PM

There's not much going on, otherwise, I would have written something sooner.

I've recently started a new devotional book, which is actually the book that my roommate Megan got me for my birthday. It's Keep A Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot.

It actually goes with what Mark at the BCM talked about tonight, which is being still and quiet and trying to listen to God instead of telling Him stuff all the time. Real communication is both ways, so we have to listen sometimes too. Actually, we should listen a lot more than we talk, which would give us more wisdom. God is just waiting to give us wisdom to know what's right and wrong and what to do. But a lot of times, we just don't listen.

So, that's what I'm working on - keeping a quiet heart and listening to God.

It also relates to "The Sound" by Switchfoot. It's actually a new song by them, and it's awesome. Here are the lyrics...
The Sound by Switchfoot
The Static comes in slow
You can feel it grow
Our stream of conscience flows
Under the streets below

Ooooh

Ooooh

The rivers made of sound
Still running underground
Runs like a silent flood
We run as thick as blood

Ooooh

Ooooh

Can you hear it rise
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now

This is the sound of a heartbeat
This is the sound from the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation
We are the voice of breaking down

Can you hear me?
This is the sound of the desperation bound
By our own collision
We are the voice of breaking down

The static comes alive
Beneath the broken skies
John Perkins said it right
Love is the final fight

Let it rise above
Rise above
There is no song
Louder than love

This is the sound of a heartbeat
this is the sound from the discontented mouths
of a haunted nation
we are the voice of breaking down

Can you hear me?
This is the sound of the desperation bound
by our own collision
we are the voice of breaking down

Down

Down

Down

Can you hear it rise
Up from the ground
Can't drown it out
Can you hear it now

This is the sound of a heartbeat
This is the sound of the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation, we are the voice of breaking down

Can you hear me
This is the sound of the desperation bound
by our collision, we are the voice of breaking down

This is the sound
This is the sound

Hmm... other things that are going on. Next weekend is the Praxis exam for me. I'm taking both the English Content and English essays tests. I'm nervous because the Praxis is different than just the ACT or SAT. But I guess I'll do okay. I certainly hope so.

I'm officially in the Teacher Education program, which is great. But I'm still working on the next steps: Praxis, classes, etc. However, I know that God is with me through this whole journey, and He will lead me to where I need to be. He'll take care of it. I'm so glad that I have Him. I wouldn't know what to do or anything without Him.

Okay, night night. Be safe! Happy Birthday today to my cousin, Chad.

Beautiful Dreamer 10:05 AM

Oh my goodness, I am so proud of my poem. We started writing "Where I'm from" poems, and I wrote mine. And it's so cute. I love it!

Title: Beautiful Dreamer
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
By: Sarah Deringer

I’m the little girl
With glasses and a book.
I can read all day
And not give a care.

I’m from the small town library
Where they’re still learning technology.
My home is in the country
Where I dream I’ll find
Narnia, Hogwarts, or the Secret Garden.

The town is Paoli,
Where you can march in the band,
Like my brothers,
Or write in the newspaper,
Like me.
Or you can sit on the square,
But watch out for creepy guys on the corner!

I’m from John and Cathy,
Big dreams and hard work.
I’m Jewla,
The pride of my grandmothers
And the stubbornness of them too.
My Nana sings me to sleep sometimes,
And I dream beautifully of
Mermaids and magic in the moonlight.
My Mammaw tells me of when
I was younger in
Hopes of keeping me little.

The schools were small,
Where you never get lost
In the shuffle of the busy day,
Writing like grown-ups,
Solving math problems,
Exploring the world,
Or waiting for lunch and recess!

I’m from slowing down
And smiling when you see people you know.
I’m a Deringer,
Where you work to get where you are
And stay there.
I follow Christ and rely on Him alone.
He makes my dreams come true
And helps me fall asleep at night.
I’m from God’s Kingdom,
Where angels dance and lions lay peacefully beside lambs.
I’m a little princess of the Great and Mighty King.




P.S. "Beautiful Dreamer" is a song that my Nana sang to me a couple times when I was younger, and it's by Stephen Foster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Dreamer

Latest things on my mind/heart/ whatever... 1:09 PM

A few days ago, I realized something about the guys that I have had crushes on throughout the past. They're all leaders in certain ways (student leaders ... as in MY age... don't get that confused!) But they each have a certain level of maturity and a sense of direction in their lives, and they help lead others in the right direction as well. Therefore, I feel that it's safe to say that God is telling me that I am going to marry a leader one day. Now, I'm not saying that it's a preacher because it most likely is NOT. But we'll see on that. I don't know where God is leading me yet, but that's part of the fun (and the worry that you have to admit to). But overall, I see that one of the things that God is leading me towards is a leader. lol... leading me towards a leader. (Sorry, I make myself laugh once in awhile.)

Here's something that should/maybe/hopefully with make you laugh because it made me laugh. Happy Hawkoween! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apwVRvmiAMM

My Next Step 5:58 AM

Guess what? It's coming soon. The Praxis Test will be on November 14, 2009. I have two tests to take on that day. And I'm going to start studying this weekend for it.

http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.fab2360b1645a1de9b3a0779f1751509/?vgnextoid=48c05ee3d74f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD

Any tips to study for it?

-Sarah

Another Monday... NO! 5:28 AM

Fall break is over, and now, it's back to homework and classes and not enough time to just sit down and enjoy life.

Events this week (so far)...

Tuesday
NCTE meeting @ 5 pm
Study Break at the BCM @ 6pm

Wednesday
URSA meeting with Kelley Wezner @ 2:30 pm
Tie dye party at the BCM @ 7:30 pm

Thursday
Lifeteam at _______ @ 5:30 - 7 pm
7:07 at the BCM @ 7:07 pm
URSA meeting at Hart Coffeeshop @ 8:45 pm

Friday
Princess Movie Night in Springer lobby @ ____ pm

So there are a few times when I can enjoy my time, but for the most part, I've got lots to do in little time.

-Sarah