Month: September 2014

A Psalm

James HoganLeave a comment

O God, You are my God; I shall
seek you earnestly;
my soul thirsts for You, my flesh
yearns for You,
in a dry and weary land where
there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in
the sanctuary,
to see Your power and
Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is
better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
So I will bless You as long as
I live;
I will lift up my hands in
Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with
marrow and fatness,
and my mouth offers praises
with joyful lips.
When I remember You on
my bed,
I meditate on You in
the night watches,
for You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I sing
for joy.

My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek my life to destroy it,
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power
of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice
in God;
everyone who swears by Him
will glory,
for the mouths of those who speak lies
will be stopped.

Praise the Lord!

Rainbow

James HoganLeave a comment

So – time for a little pre-work entry! I haven’t done this in a while…and I feel in the mood to write before I officially start work this morning.

It is pouring outside and sometimes it’s easy to complain in the midst of an early morning drive to work in a Houston Deluge(trademark that!)…but this morning, as I came in, I just realised how blessed I truly am. I’m thankful for the vast quantities of water that have been heaped onto Houston these past few days…I’m thankful that I have a paying job that I can drive to…I’m thankful that I have a sturdy car that keeps me dry as I drive to said job…I’m thankful for delicious peppermint mocha that warms up my inside…I’m thankful for the many lovely friends I have as I remember good times that we have enjoyed together(like at Sarah’s bday party last night!!)…I’m thankful for modern communication devices that enable me to talk to people hundreds and thousands of miles away…oh and also…I’m thankful that the United Kingdom remains united as Scotland voted resoundingly to stay within the Union. So it may be dreary and grey outside and manic and busy inside my office here…but that matters not. I am thankful to my Lord who gives me…everything.

United

James HoganLeave a comment

Good evening, friends!! It’s a bit late(especially for a Wednesday night!), but I did want to get a few words written.

Tomorrow is a momentous day for Scotland. Tomorrow, the people of that fair land vote in the “Independence Referendum” and answer the single question – Should Scotland be an independent country?

So much virtual ink has been spilled by various blogs and pundits on whether Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom or become independent, and I almost hesitate to write anything at all, especially because I’m not even living in Scotland anymore! But, after reading Chris’ most eloquent essay earlier today on his thoughts and feelings on the upcoming referendum, I knew I simply must write a few words.

Sadly – it is also late enough that I feel my words slipping away, so an essay is not to be. So rather than pour out my thoughts upon this page, I’ll go to bed(which would be wise considering work in the morning!). And as I drift off to sleep, I’m going to be praying for Scotland. As much as I think that it would be best(both economically and global-politically) for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom – my prayer is this – that, as always, our Father’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And I pray that God bless this wonderful country of Scotland as its people go to the polls this day. And I pray that no matter the outcome, the Scottish people will show love to each other, that there be no bitterness by the losing side, that there be no lack of charity or malice shown by the victorious side. And I pray for the future of Scotland. Your will be done, our Lord.

Smoldering

James HoganLeave a comment

A riot of watercolors
and tapestry of tears,
a whispering of smooth jazz and
a slow dance of the years.

A subtle raising of eyebrows,
and dizzy sparkling eyes,
a conversation of laughter
and a slow dance of sighs.

Sitting under maple trees
in lush autumn and
drinking tea with
purest honey and
feeling the sweet caress of wind off the sea and watching clouds dissolve in unprovoked giggles amid the rain falling from hooded eyes of
the storm
and feeling the
warm blush from
sun unveiling and
watching the stars
write a new symphony.

A soulful lilting of trumpets,
violins sing that tune,
two hands now clasped lovingly and
slow dance under the moon.

Hope Unfailing

James HoganLeave a comment

Good evening, friends!! I’m in the middle of cooking dinner, but as my chicken is taking its sweet time to reach that proper state of golden-brown deliciousness, I thought I’d take a quick break from the kitchen and write this! My dinner will (eventually) be a most awesome chicken/pineapple curry. For some reason, I felt in a curry mood. So there you go.

In other, less delicious news? Well for one, I can announce that I am now living at the Chuckberry house with John, Chase and Daniel. And as foreseen, it is awesome!! This day’s been perfectly delightful – after a encouraging and awe-inspiring morning at church(complete with chairing the control booth with Joe! Oh and…reminded how sweet it is, leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus. Always, yo)…this afternoon has been no less sweet, hanging out at the house here with Daniel, good chat intermingled with football on the TV. Went out to the store quickly to grab dinner supplies and much enjoyed the gorgeous storm clouds scudding swiftly overhead as the rain fell softly down…

And now, my chicken is bubbling ominously and I should probably pay more attention to the stove and less attention to the 49ers/Cowboys game and this blinking laptop screen…

Have a sweet and most awesome evening, my friends. My love is with you, always.