Month: January 2014

Fresh Fallen Snow

James HoganLeave a comment

I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
my ears You have opened;
burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
they are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed me.

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
Make haste, O LORD, to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”

Since I am afflicted and needy,
let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.

-Psalm 40

Son of Gondor

James HoganLeave a comment

Lasagna almost ready to eat and Fellowship of the Ring almost at its conclusion. What a beautiful evening! Every time I see this movie, I’m reminded why it’s one of my favorites. To see the veritable clash between good and evil. Darkness is out there – yet we fight. I just saw one of the most moving scenes in cinema history, the farewell between Aragorn and Boromir. “I would have fought with you, my brother…my captain…my king.” Oh love.

And so with one of my favorite movies winding to its end(Sam and Frodo sailing across the river together!), I just thought I’d post quickly this Saturday evening before I eat my lasagna. All good things come from the Father of lights, and it is Him to whom I offer my thanksgiving this night. Farewell my friends! Now, it’s lasagna time for me. Mmm delicious. Peace and love.

Great and Terrible

James HoganLeave a comment

Good evening my friends! And Happy Friday!!

I’m sitting on my comfy couch this Friday evening, content and at peace. Content because I have a delicious dinner in the oven and a warm flat and clothes to keep the cold at bay. At peace because, despite what swirls around and within me, I am a child of my Father God. And it is well with my soul.

After that opening salvo, I shall attempt to write just a bit more this night. But first, while I gather my thoughts, I’ll describe my dinner! For I truly am looking forward to it. Lemon rosemary chicken, complete with squash and potatoes. It’s really not as fancy as it sounds, but it does smell delicious. And now with dinner out of the way – let’s get to the heart of the matter!

I just finished reading Malachi(and thus the Old Testament) a few minutes ago, and it’s such a delightful book to read. Truly. And maybe delightful is an odd word to use, yet I can’t think of a better. Just reading the words of God, pondering His coming. Thinking of the return of my Lord – the bringer of wrath and the purveyor of justice – the Lord who cares for the downcast and the humble man – and who despises the arrogant and the unjust. Our God will return, one day. And it shall be most awesome. And I truly long for that day, when there is no more pain or suffering or injustice. I long for that day when all the earth cries out – Glory to the Lord! – and all the nations bow before the King of Kings. What a day will that be. Yet who may abide the day of His coming? Those whom the Lord loves. Who can stand when He appears? Those whom the Lord delights in, because He has chosen them as His own and purified them as purest gold by the blood of His son. For our Lord is like a refiner’s fire – holy is the Lord!

Pardon the above paragraph – I fear it’s a bit disjointed, but thus are my thoughts this night. Also – reading Malachi reminded me of how much I enjoy listening to Handel’s Messiah. There are few – if any – pieces of music that bring as much glory to the Lord as that one. Praise the Lord, my friends. Praise the Lord – all the earth!!

And now my dinner is almost ready, which – I suppose – means this entry should be coming to a close. Just think on the Lord Jesus this night. Think of His beauty. Bask in His love. Fall to your knees and pray to Him. No matter what this world throws at us, no matter how our emotions rage – we are children of the living God. We are known. We are loved. Hallelujah!!

Peace, my friends. Peace and love.

Hope in the Darkness

James HoganLeave a comment

Good morning, my friends!! Thought I’d just post a quick few words here. It is delightfully and ferociously cold this morning! At least by Houston standards. 27 degrees currently. And falling! (That’s -3 for all you on the east side of the pond) I’m quite enjoying this weather, gotta say. I get to wear my sweaters and coat and scarf and just enjoy the crisp bite of the early morning breeze. Glorious, I say. And so I have decided that this cold weather is one of God’s gifts to me these past few days. Now, it is time to get some work domination done – so I am off. Have a wonderful day, y’all!!!

2013, In Memoriam

James HoganLeave a comment

And so does 2013 end. And so does the year 2014 AD begin – may it truly be a year of our Lord. So it is and so it will be.

And with those words, let us celebrate and praise the Lord who this year has made! Happy New Year, one and all!!!

I have thought about doing a year-review survey, but truly, I think I could get much more words in by just rambling on, and I think my rambling might be more interesting than answering survey questions. Of course, possibly not, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Anyways – 2013! What a year it’s been. I was talking to some friends at our party last night and was remarking that 2013 was a year of great change for me. And I am most intrigued to see if 2014 will be as life-changing as this past year has been! We shall see. We shall see.

Anyways, before I bore you all to death(already too late? Oops), what’s been the highlights of 2013? Truly, too many to mention. I did a brief review of my journal entries from this past year. My discoveries? Apparently I’ve spent a lot of time in coffeeshops. I’ve drank lots of hot beverages. I’ve often promised to just write a few words and failed miserably at doing so. I’ve witnessed many glorious mornings. I’ve been continuously overwhelmed by the glories of our Father God. And that about sums it up.

And now I sit in a coffeeshop(Beans!!) eating my ham and cheese panini(with tomatoes and onions!). Yes I am a creature of habit at times. What can I say? Truly, though, it’s wonderful to enjoy this day off work and sit here sipping my mocha and thinking back over this past year and thanking God for what He has done in my life.

And that’s really what this post is about, is it not? I think sometimes we can be so self-centered as we reflect upon our past, but let that not be the case here. As I write these words of memory, let they bring glory to our Father in heaven. So let His praises be sung in all the earth!

And so 2013. I started out this year living in Aberdeen and I have finished it in Houston, Texas. I have returned to my homeland(in a manner of speaking). I have left friends innumerable behind in Aberdeen and I still miss them deeply. But now I am living in Texas and I am determined through the grace of my God to discover all the wonders and works He has in store for me. Texas is my home now. And I have already met and become close to so many people here, I can truly not complain!! Last night, bringing in the new year at the Youth Reach party with all my Bethel friends was simply fantastic. A few minutes after midnight, a few of us(Zach, Angela, Stef…) sang worship songs together as we stood in a field and watched the fireworks paint colours across the sky. Is that not a simply wonderful way to start off 2014? I say it is. (Of course, it was also pretty sweet to be able to go over to Andrew’s place afterward and play cards for a few hours. The girls had never played before, so we attempted to enlighten them in the dark arts of poker!)

But I have got off track. I keep meaning to talk more about 2013, but what shall I say? Shall I recount every shining moment in that year? There were too many. I could discuss what we call ‘highlights’, such as Maryanne and Laura’s trip to the UK and our awesome adventures. I could talk about my trips to Oxford and Northern Ireland. I could talk about the trips I had home for Maryanne’s graduation and later on my repatriation to the United States. I could recount the beyond awesome times I have had at home in Florida with Dad and Mom and Maryanne and Laura…all the ice cream we consumed and the Jack Bauer we enjoyed!! I could discuss the countless conversations I had with my dear friends. Sweet nights with John in the Calsayseat flat. Watching movies with people at Union Square – I think Les Mis was probably the highlight movie event of this past year! Coffee mornings with friends at Books and Beans. Now in Texas, coffee mornings with friends at Beans! I could talk about evenings drinking tea and chatting about life with so many dear dear friends(John, Ruth, Zara – did we not have some awesome nights together??). I could mention the remarkably awesome evenings I had with Chris and Jo(and oh do I miss our times together!!)…sadly no more playing Tomb Raider with Chris and no more watching Lord of the Rings and no more driving home from Gilc wednesday nights together. I could talk about the sweet birthday brunch I had with Ruth and Zara and John and Alec and Pip and Chris and Jo…best birthday ever!!! I could dwell on Gilc and the most wonderful worship that went on there every single week. I could think on all the friends at Gilc who I spent time with and encouraged and was encouraged by. I could think of the sweet times I had with Rosemary and April at their flat, eating scrumptious food and watching quality TV(Sherlock is playing today in the UK and I am missing it!!). I could talk about the breakfasts I shared with Graham and Joel and Ben…praying and talking together. I could discuss the beyond-awesome times me and Graham spent, just talking about life. And I could discuss so so much more. But truly, rather than spill even more virtual ink, just know that God has blessed this past year. And although I have talked mostly about Aberdeen and Scotland and my friends contained therein, my thanks to God for this year also extends to the Houston portion! I have become part of a special fellowship here, and I am oh so thankful to God for leading me to Bethel. My community group is a most wonderful group of brothers and sisters and I am ever so grateful. I greatly look forward to the coming days and weeks and months of getting to know them even better! I can’t wait to see what God will do this year.

And now, I’ve noticed I have created a rather awkward paragraph above, but I will let it stand in all its glory. I realise it may be a bit unwieldy to read. My apologies. I apparently cannot properly structure year-end posts! But this post is already far too long, so let me it end it quickly. You have read some of my thoughts on this past year. You have seen how God has blessed me. Know this – I am ever so thankful to Him for all He has done. Sometimes it is so easy to forget the blessings we are given when we are in the middle of a rough and exhausting day. Sometimes the storms and fog of the present troubles are all we see and we cease to gaze upon the majesty of Jesus Christ and we cease to dwell on His glory. And our world becomes small and mean indeed. But then should we stop gazing inward upon ourselves and our pleasures and our fears. Then should we turn to the most sacred Word of God and marvel at the words contained therein. Then should we turn in prayer to the Almighty God. Then should we think upon the glories of Christ. And then our heart burns in adoration and fiercest love for Jehovah God.

Be still, my friends – and think upon all God has done for us.

Happy New Year, my dear friends!! I am now off to do some shopping and try to decide upon the dinner menu for tonight! I wish I could watch some of the Outback Bowl(Iowa-LSU – currently wearing my Hawkeyes shirt!!), but no TV. Ah well. Michigan St. plays Stanford in the Rose Bowl, and I won’t be able to see that either. Alas – guess I’ll just have to get my updates from Dad!!