Author: James Hogan

Something Wonderful This Way Comes

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Some encouraging words that I read this morning. How good it is to rest in the love, wisdom and sovereignty of my God!

God understands its way,
and He knows its place.
For He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When He imparted weight to the wind
and meted out the waters by measure,
When He set a limit for the rain
and a course for the thunderbolt,
Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
And to man He said,
“Behold, the fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom;
and to depart from evil
is understanding.”
-Job 28:23-28

Glories Unbounded

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For when God designed the great and glorious work of recovering fallen man and the saving of sinners,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, He appointed, in His infinite wisdom, two great means thereof.
The one was the giving of His Son for them, and the other was the giving of His Spirit unto them.
And hereby was way made for the manifestation of the glory of the whole blessed Trinity; which is the
utmost end of all the works of God. Hereby were the love, grace, and wisdom of the Father, in the
design and projection of the whole; the love, grace, and condescension of the Son, in the execution,
purchase, and procurement of grace and salvation for sinners; with the love, grace, and power of the
Holy Spirit, in the effectual application of all unto the souls of men, – made gloriously conspicuous.
Hence, from the first entrance of sin, there were two general heads of the promise of God unto men,
concerning the means of their recovery and salvation. The one was that concerning the sending of His
Son to be incarnate, to take our nature upon Him, and to suffer for us therein; the other, concerning
the giving of His Spirit, to make the effects and fruits of the incarnation, obedience, and suffering
of His Son, effectual in us and towards us. To these heads may all the promises of God be reduced.
-John Owen, Works, Vol 3, The Holy Spirit,pg 23

Boysenberries

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Hello friends – a relaxing Friday afternoon here! I suppose I should do my workout fairly soon(and I will) but thought I’d write first. Finishing up a perfectly lovely three day vacation(because I had extra vacation days to take. Why not, right?) and I thought I’d just thank God for granting me rest. I probably have spent too much of this time at Starbucks and drinking coffee…but hey, it’s vacation right? Doesn’t that mean I get to do what I want?? And I maybe possibly slightly had an ulterior motive as well – this morning asked out barista Katie(who is a pretty cool girl, I must say!). Alas she said no(due to another random boy she’s talking to in NC who I knew nothing about!) Tragic!! Nonetheless, while I usually don’t share this type of thing online(at least not this bluntly, without the facade of sweeping poetry or purple prose) – I thought I’d put this out there just to share something utterly real and my subsequent comfort in meditating on how good God is. We walk in faith and while we don’t always get what we think we want, God is with us every step of the way. Always. And His comfort is abounding. And it’s encouraging because while Katie didn’t give me the answer I “wanted”, we had a wonderful conversation, full of honesty and kindness, and we are committed to remaining friends. And so I can honestly say I’m in a good mood(which is not always the case in this sort of scenario!) and extremely grateful to God for His mercies. To me! And even this afternoon, God has blessed me. As I ate lunch, I got quite a few laughs out of watching “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” with Hepburn, Tracy, et. al. As John Wade Prentice and Joanna Drayton make an unusual relationship work(14 year age gap!), I suppose I have no idea what God has in store for me and…that’s a good thing! Even if I’m not quite as handsome as Sidney Poitier. Alas.

Now from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To God be the glory forever. Amen.

K State

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Hello friends!! A Friday Morning Post(hopefully that’s not plagiarizing Dad’s blog) that I decided to quickly write. Sitting here at Starbucks. Greatly enjoying my “Best of Enfield” playlist on iTunes. I really need to listen to this one more often…so many lovely amazing, truly awesome hymns that lift up my soul to heights of wonder and praise. “There Is A Fountain”, “And Can It Be?”, “Crown Him With Many Crowns”, “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken”…”Holy, Holy, Holy”…etc, etc. Simply lovely. Anyways, I shan’t write much else. My heart is full but fingers incapable of speech. I will continue to sip on my mocha americano and rest in the love of my God. Truly – sometimes it’s hard to trust in God and that He shall continue to guide my paths. But I need only look to the divine promises in His word for encouragement and comfort. My God shall always be with me. Forever and always. I trust Him and Him alone and rest in His awesome love.

The Baseball

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So I have a little time and I thought I may as well write now even though I am tired(and yet don’t feel it). Mocha americano and adrenaline still pumping through my veins…last night watched one of the greatest games of baseball I’ve ever seen, not even taking into account the fact that it’s Game 5 of the World Series with my Astros in it. (And yes they’re my third team after Rays and O’s – but gosh if I can’t help but love them!) Last night though – so many moments of ups and downs I can’t even describe them all. It’s starting to all run together now…but I still vividly remember the end…we had been down so many times(4-0…7-4…8-7…each time we battle back). Finally we had the lead 11-9 in the bottom of the 8th but I know our bullpen too well and I am not satisfied…we need insurance runs, I tell Emily! And happily enough – McCann(the beast) provides – solo shot – exhilaration! 12-9 going into top of the ninth. Surely that is enough. And oh no. The Dodgers(pesky foe that they are) scratch and claw and even when we’re one out away from winning we cannot put them away. They tie the game. We fail to do anything in bottom of ninth. 12-12 extra inning time. We go into the tenth and I’m thinking there’s no way our beleagured bullpen stops them. Somehow we do. Bottom of the tenth. First two hitters go down. 2 outs. Then McCann is up again…hit by pitch! He’s on first. Springer is up – what a hero. He’s seeing the ball well…battles for a walk. McCann is on 2nd and now Hinch pulls him and puts in a pinch runner(Fisher). I’m a little nervous at this point, commenting that McCann is such a good catcher…we’ll regret not having him if this goes deeper. But oh me of little faith. Hinch and the Astros are playing to win *now*. And Bregman comes up. World Series Game 5, 12-12, bottom of the 10th, 2 outs. You dream of this. And…he hits to shallow left and Fisher is flying around the bases and oh he scores and oh it’s game over. 13-12 what a game. What a night! We all kept looking at each other saying “This game!” each time something crazy happened…a roller coaster of baseball I’ve never experienced before! So much cheering ecstatically – so many groans and heads bowed…but the end. Oh the end. I guess I’ve neglected to mention the fact that this game was a home game…I was with Erica and Emily and Michelle and friends downtown at a little establishment known as HTX Fan Tavern. Literally right across the street from Minute Maid Park! We decamped to an outdoor viewing area around…the 8th inning I think? And as we stood(and shivered) and watched the last few innings(me wondering if I’d get any sleep tonight at all – oh wait it’s morning now, hello midnight!)…I realized how rare a chance it is to get to be a part of such an epic World Series. The last hit that Bregman got…as we were watching, we heard some shouts and screams from people down the street…I’m wondering why they’re shouting when nothing happened…then thought…wait…is our game broadcast slightly delayed…wait…and then it happened and Fisher flew around the bases and everyone’s screaming and jumping up and down and and and baseball. Truly my first sports love and now I remember why. I may always remember this Astros line-up – such a special group – Springer, Bregman, Altuve, Correa, Gurriel, Reddick, Gattis, Gonzalez, McCann. Team of dreams. Go Astros.

And yes this is an atypical post full of sports and possibly a bit too much gushing over athletes…and it’s terribly sloppily stream of consciousness written…but I don’t care and shall still leave it for posterity just so that I shall remember what a fun amazing night this was. My (probably) sleep-deprived brain is not that great at writing eloquently. Alas. Somehow I still don’t feel tired yet. Apparently my strategy of telling myself when I went to bed that I was just going to sleep for a nice hour and a half nap worked. I feel so fresh! Went in to Starbucks and got my drink(and I gave Jake and Katie some chocolate chip cookies I baked yesterday!) and now I’m at work and the office is all buzzing about the Astros. As is proper.

I’m off to attempt to work. Happy Monday, all. Peace and love.

Ragtime

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Saturday morning time here(well – technically afternoon, 12:03 at the moment!) and I’m at Starbucks with my mocha americano and my will to write is flagging. Alas. I have had a lovely morning…it is nice and cold outside – in the 40s! – and I did mean to go for a nice run in the early morning dark. My body decided it did not want that and I slept through my alarm…woken up by the sun instead. Guess I needed the extra sleep!! And truly I did – stayed up late last night watching the Astros game with Jared. And by Astros game – I mean World Series Game Three. Because yes – Astros are in the WS! They’re up 2-1 at the moment. Two more games. If they win, Houston will go crazy and it will be magnificent! They may only be my third baseball team(after Rays and O’s) but I’m still heartily rooting for them. Anyways! That was last night and of course it was much fun watching it with Jared. This morning after I finally dragged myself out of bed, went and had a great breakfast time with Earnie and Jake. Oh so encouraging. And now here I sit at Starbucks and it’s already after noon and I probably should go soon because I do need to do a little shopping, stop at the dry cleaners and then get home to do cleaning and chores.

So…can I write as much as I planned? I suppose not. But…I think I do have time to share my latest CD tracklist…composed a few months ago and it is utterly fantastic(even approved of by Laura and Caisson!). It’s story? Well – I had planned to make a more “melancholy-lite” playlist but I had also wanted to put some new Needtobreathe songs on. And it then morphed into what it is now – a playlist that starts gloomily enough but soon morphs into some good old-fashioned toe-tapping fun. Because it has a few songs that could be considered a bit more country/folk…it’s title is thus influenced. There are quite a few songs that have glorious harmonica! I also chose the title from one of my all-time favourite verses from one of my all-time favourite chapters from one of my all-time favourite books. As lovely as this earth may be, I do confess that I am a stranger and an exile in it. So do I present…A Country of Their Own:

1. Solitaire – Marina and the Diamonds
2. The Last Time(feat. Gary Lightbody) – Taylor Swift
3. All Too Well – Taylor Swift
4. Call You Home – Mangas Colorado
5. Black and Blue – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
6. Funeral Beds – The Districts
7. Money & Fame – Needtobreathe
8. Unbelievers – Vampire Weekend
9. Happiness – Needtobreathe
10. Supercut – Lorde
11. Forget – Marina and the Diamonds
12. Born Again Teen – Lucius
13. Great Night(feat. Shovels & Rope) – Needtobreathe
14. Trustful Hands – The Dø
15. Postcard Memories – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
16. Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now(Live) – Needtobreathe
17. Wasteland(Live) – Needtobreathe
18. More Heart, Less Attack(Live) – Needtobreathe

And I am now all caught up on posting my playlists. Finally!! I guess that means it’s time to craft a few more. One more note on the above – I do truly love it. It ranks up there with eyes closed, Heart Open as a list of songs that mirror my heart and thrill my soul…shadows the melancholy I sometimes feel…and echoes the joy that overflows my cup when I remember my true home. May all my “creative” endeavours always be thus.

Peace and love, dear friends.

Early Morning Dreaming

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Happy Monday, all! I have not much energy for writing at the moment…but still thought it’d be proper to write a few words. Nice 3:45 wakeup this morning, breakfast, reading(Ezra – remember the gravity and terror of sinning against the holy God), etc. A little bit emotionally weary – always that way after a busy weekend I suppose? But I was encouraged anew upon driving to work and hearing some good preaching by Dominic on 2 Kings 4. Then got to see Jake and Katie at Starbucks – always enjoyable chatting with both of them, for true. Now as I sip on my surprisingly delicious mocha americano(recommended by Katie – will have to remember to thank her!), I sit here at my desk at work, preparing for a busy week. God is my fortress, my song and my deliverer. I need not fret nor fear. Surely, my God is with me to the end.

What is Not to Love?

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Hello friends – happy Saturday!! I am posting at a later time than usual this Saturday…and a not-normal place. Currently sitting on my couch as I enjoy my raspberry/banana/spinach smoothie…most notably not at Starbucks, shocker! But I’ll explain why in a bit. It’s been a beautiful Saturday so far…starting off with sleeping in until 6, which was much enjoyed(and much needed). It’s been a long week, with work just being crazy busy and moderately stressful and most tiring all the way around. So last night was an enjoyable relaxing evening. Dinner of fish and potatoes followed by reading…started reading John Owen Vol 3 – “The Holy Spirit”. It may take me a year to read it but it will be glorious. Over six hundred pages of very small words…in sentences that are not easy to understand. But oh so worth it and oh so beneficial and encouraging to my soul. Thus continues my lifetime quest to read all of John Owen.

Anyways! This morning as said previously, woke up at 6, enjoyed a nice coffee and reading time here at the flat. Then went down to Black Walnut for a nice breakfast with Julie! We haven’t had time to get together in quite some time…so as I enjoyed my salmon eggs benedict and honey-sweetened coffee, we had much good chat(and at least on my side – I was much encouraged!!). Oh what a sweet friend is she. Following that, went to Men’s Wearhouse to get fitted for my suit for Julian’s wedding(which is in January and I can’t wait! Kelsey and him are perfect together – such a God-honouring couple. Truly glorious shall this wedding be!). After that, did a few other errands…then stopped at Starbucks where I truly meant to sit down and get some writing done. I got distracted by Katie who had just got off her shift and was having lunch before preparing to study for some of her classes. We ended up talking for over an hour about sundry topics…a totally unplanned conversation that was very enjoyable nonetheless! I do so love talking with someone that loves God and seeks to honour Him in all things. Very thankful to God for this random talk that He blessed me with!!

Following chat with Katie, I realized it was past lunchtime and I still needed to do my food shopping. No time to stay at Starbucks and write alas! So left Starbucks and went and did my HEB/Trader Joe’s run and finally made it home…talked with John and Camille for a bit before they ran off and I sort of enjoyed some leftover soup that needed to be eaten.

Now…I’m sitting here on the couch, half-watching the Michigan State/Indiana game(incredibly boring 3-3 game at the moment…) while I write this entry. This is a bit of rambling entry, but it’s been a while(I think?) since I’ve done one of these, so I will indulge myself. Soon I shall be off to Starbucks(yes, again!) to meet up with Earnie and Julian. It will be a sweet time of fellowship with dearest friends, of that I have no doubt. And because I really have nothing else to write…I guess I’ll sign off? Oh! I do have a poem that I need to finish and post at some point, but don’t think I have the muse at the moment. It’s the kind of poem that needs to be written at early-weekday-morning time…with the melancholy that can only come from brooding at work in the early dark. So – maybe next week you’ll get to see that.

Oh one more thing. Pizza Hut commercial just came on. I cannot wait until I can eat that again. It will be BEST NIGHT EVER.

Now I really shall end this. Peace out!

tEcHnO

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A lunchtime update! Shocking!! But, I thought I might as well be random. Why not, right?

Firstly – I’m def enjoying my tuna fish sandwiches just now. I never knew sandwiches could taste so good…(plenty of Old Bay to assist with the awesomeness, of course). Secondly…past few work days I’ve been rocking out to assorted techno playlists on the youtube…surprisingly good work music, for some reason! Don’t be surprised if at some point soon I publish a new playlist with these influences. It’s coming. dance Vol 2. Of course – I need to figure out a catchier, more appropriate name. We shall see.

Now, gonna finish my lunch and then it’s time to drive over to Transocean for meeting times. Yay?

Peace.