Month: December 2015

Forever

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Brief entry! Just rolled in to work after a couple hours of sleep(yes, after a tragic few hours sitting on the tarmac in Houston last night…I didn’t quite get to bed until sometime after two in the morning). I have my hazulnut mocha and it is a beautifully cold morning and I have to confess I had a pretty sweet drive in to work…listening to the last few pieces of the Messiah. Glorious. And a perfect way to start this work week. Although I am still a bit sad to be back in Houston after leaving the family in Florida last night…such sweet times were had with Dad, Mom, Maryanne, Laura, Caisson…and it’s oh so bittersweet to leave them and fly back here to Houston. And now I’m off(Oh – one sidenote! Best football weekend in a long time this past weekend…Skins beat the Eagles to win the NFC East – represent! And in my second(and final?) year playing fantasy football with people here, I clinched the league title in convincing fashion, 139-50. Not a bad football weekend at all!).

And now I really have to go and start work here. Sipping my coffee and being productive. Sounds like a plan. Have a sweet day, one and all!

Behold the Day

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Hi friends!! Happy Christmas Eve!!! I’m posting a quick entry from Tampa home! I have been meaning to write more this break(I’ve been here for five days now!), but alas, an abundance of good times with family and friends has prevented me. Alas indeed. But no complaints whatsoever! And now I find myself faced with the problem of too much to write about. Well, suppose we shall bounce back to Friday night, shall we? One of my favorite nights of this whole past year, I can confidently assert! Went with a group of friends(had fourteen of us!) to see Handel’s Messiah at Jones Hall in downtown Houston. It was a grand evening with simply wonderful friends. We were pretty snazzily dressed up(if I do say so myself!!) and after we finished our dinner at Bombay’s Pizza, we made our way to the hall and then enjoyed a marvelous few hours hearing and seeing the Houston Symphony perform the Messiah. I may have said this before, so pardon the repetition, but this is my favorite piece of music ever, and every time I hear it…it delights my soul. And hearing it live – oh joy!!! I really wish I could properly convey the feeling at being there, but my skill with words is not sufficient to the task. But hearing God be praised via the words of the Scripture(Isaiah! Malachi! Psalms! Luke! and more!) by so many beautiful voices…oh gorgeous. Just a little piece of heaven. And again, hearing that with some of my dear friends, thinking on the deep and wonderful mysteries of God Almighty, Saviour of my soul…I cannot express my heart. ’tis wonderful.

And now I feel I can’t really get back to writing about the rest of this week…but it’s been an amazing time with the family – Dad, Mom, Laura, Maryanne, Caisson…eating so much delicious food, watching fun movies(Jurassic World – Maryanne’s choice! Alice Adams, a classic Katherine Hepburn movie – Mom’s choice! Star Wars: The Force Awakens – All of our choice!! And if I took time to write a review of that movie now…in all its space-rollicking-adventure glory splashed across the cinema screen…this would be far too long of an entry!). And now it is Christmas Eve, and Dad is resting on the couch, Maryanne’s making her oven-roasted potatoes(lots of them!), and Laura and Caisson are shortly going to be cooking the steak and asparagus…while I laze about and type on this keyboard. And oft-times, I feel so unworthy of all these blessings…my thoughts and emotions whirl about within me in frantic currents and I doubt my place…yet then I think back on what God my Father has given me, and who He is. My Father, my God. My Love. And I rest in His loving arms and I fear no more. All glory be unto Him, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Now, time for me to contribute to this Christmas Eve dinner in some fashion. Maybe I’ll do some of the dishes here. Peace, my friends. Peace and love, forever and always.

Tidings of Comfort

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Happy Monday, dear friends!! I meant to write a few more words than I now have time for(maybe I should postpone checking my email until *after* I’ve written my planned entry!). Anyways, it’s a gorgeous December morning here(52 degrees as I drove to work – delightful!!) and I got to listen to some rousing Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas music on my drive to work. Now, I’m sipping on my hazelnut mocha and enjoying the peace that comes with an early morning. But seriously, I didn’t come here to talk about my coffee and this beautiful morning. I really wanted to write a review of my most recent favorite book. The long-form review may have to wait, so a snippet will have to suffice. Dallimore’s George Whitefield – ever heard of it? Well, I just started reading it last week for the first time. I’ve owned it for a while now, but finally decided to take a little break from Owens(love Owens, but can only take so much at one time!!) and read this biography. And wow, is it excellent – why did I wait this long?? I can’t think of a good way to say this without sounding exceedingly arrogant, but – I’ve read some 240 pages in the past five days…and I’m having trouble putting it down when I really should be doing other things. Thankfully, it’s a nicely massive two volume biography, so I have plenty more still to read. Anyways – since I really *don’t* have a lot of time to write, just wanted to state simply how much this book has blessed me these past few days – it has truly enlivened my heart and warmed my soul. Reading about this great man of God – so mightily full of the Spirit and yet so humble before the Lord – has been oh so encouraging. (And a tad bit convicting. Whitefield started his ministry when he was…about six years younger than I am now. Hm) And I just love reading about what God has done. God is working – always! And just as He worked through Whitefield and others, so He will(and is!) working through me, despite my weaknesses and frailty. Praise be to God – amen and amen! And it drives me to want to know more about what God has for me in my future – I want to serve God with every thread of my being and I tremble at bringing shame to His name by my failings. Oh how I long to glorify God every moment of every day – may that not be a thought for far-off heaven time. No, this is what I strive for here and now – to know God truly and to make Him known. And to witness His beauty and rest in the glories of His presence and to be oh so aware of His Spirit resting in me and to never cease from being in awe of the eternal lovingkindness of the Lord God of hosts. This is my prayer. May God keep me humble before Him. May God make me mighty in His power. May God keep me safe in His loving arms. Forever and always.

Thus Always to Tyrants

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Let me die, let me drown, lay my bones in the ground
I will still come around when the time for sleep is through
Over hill, over dale, through the valley and vale
Do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you
Every tomb, every sea, spit the bones from your teeth
Let the ransomed be free as the revel meets the day
Let the valleys awake, let them rattle and shake
In the wind that remakes all that time has worn away

To and fro, I will not follow
Where you go, I will not also

I will look for you as the sun rises higher
When the dry bones dance with the timbrel and lyre
There’s a wind alive in the valley
It will fill your lungs, if you’ll have it

Where I go, will you still follow?
Will you leave your shaded hollow?
Will you greet the daylight looming,
Learn to love without consuming?

(Disclaimer: Not written by me!! My new fav band, the Oh Hellos. I’m a bit obsessed with them just now. Just a bit. Happy Wednesday, dear friends.)

The Lions of James

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Monday my friends!! Don’t have long to write, as work needs to begin in earnest shortly…(even though it is not even six AM here yet!). But I wanted to at least write a few words to let you know this December is already rolling along nicely. I can’t believe it’s almost time for Christmas. Ridiculous. But I still have two more weeks of work to conquer(along with a few Christmas parties to attend!) before I can think about home time in Tampa. And this past weekend(while tiring!) has been most delightful…besides fun events with lots of people(Christmas party at Abby and Claire’s on Friday! Dinner and movie(Creed – awesomely done!) with the gang for Matias’ birthday on Saturday!)…have had some quality talks with dear friends who I value greatly. And just realise how truly blessed I am to have such amazing friends. Talking with Laura K on Saturday…Daniel yesterday(I miss that guy!!)…then me and John had a sweet evening last night…eating pizza, watching random football game and just talking about life. So yes, as busy as I have been…I just want to sit back for a moment here and remind myself of the friends that I love so much.

Now – work time here y’all. Peace and love.