So this is a bit of a cruel post…just sitting here on the couch(watching Vikes/Eagles NFC championship game!) as my dinner cooks on the stove. Creamy chicken and vegetables(carrots, onions, parsley and mushrooms!) with mashed potatoes is the plan for this evening. Bit of a new recipe, but I felt in the mood for a nice hearty, warming meal…and I think this will suffice! Mmm, my mouth waters. Alright, I really have nothing more to say. Hope your Sunday has been peaceful and filled with joy. Love you all, dear friends!
Author: James Hogan
Apples and Cinnamon
So today will be an interesting day. The weather conditions are advertised as being a “wintry mix”, which when hearing that – sounds delightfully pleasant right? Wintry mix sounds to me like maybe a peppermint tea or exotic hot cocoa or something delicious that can be sipped while cosy at home during the depths of winter. But no – this wintry mix is much more annoying – namely, very cold(probably sub-freezing) temperatures and various forms of precipitation. Yay? Driving here this morning, all the signs proclaimed: “ICE PREVENTION OPERATIONS AHEAD”. At least Houston is trying, am I right!? My one shoutout of the day goes to the woman I saw on her morning run as I drove to work. 5:45AM, 37 degrees and slight rain. And she still went on her run. I shake my head in admiration and shame – never am I that dedicated!!
But apart from the weather forecast, right now I’m enjoying my coffee here at work as I continue to wake up. Thankfully I’m less sleepy than I was yesterday! Totally slept through my alarm so had no time for breakfast or coffee…and why did I sleep in yesterday? Well, the night before that was Julian and Kelsey’s wedding – and oh what a gorgeous wedding it was!! I shan’t describe it all here…but their wedding was God glorifying – a simply beautiful ceremony of them affirming their marriage covenant to one another before God Himself. And I must briefly mention the beauty of the venue itself – outdoors surrounded by the mid-winter Texas countryside. As I stood by Julian’s side and gazed out at the setting sun, brisk air enlivening(and slightly shiver-inducing!) and fading light spirit invigorating…I had no thoughts but to thank God for blessing Julian and Kelsey so – for giving each of them to the other as partners in this beautiful, crazy, wonderful life. All praises to the One from whom all blessings flow. Amen.
What else can I write before it is work time? Well I suppose I should start on my pledge for this year. I typically enjoy reading very much(as you should know, if you know me at all), but I am very poor in recording what I’ve read. So I’ve decided this year to keep track of each book I read. Even re-reads(because yes, I do re-read quite a bit – and I don’t want to miss the chance to highlight good books, just because they’re not first reads). This is a slightly perilous resolution, for several reasons. Firstly, because I’m typically terrible at keeping on something like this, so I must be diligent at recording these, even if I have no time to write any fancy reviews. Secondly, because…this means my reading tastes will be exposed for the whole world to see – will be a good impetus to (try to) read quality books! For now though..here goes. I will record the books as I finish them, so here’s my first two, which coincidentally or not I completed last night.
1. Authority by D.M. Lloyd-Jones. This was a remarkably short book, less than 100 pages! But I much enjoyed this adaptation of several of Lloyd-Jones sermons he gave on the subject of authority, namely – the authority of Christ, the authority of the Scripture and the authority of the Holy Spirit. I much enjoyed this book(as I enjoy almost all of Lloyd-Jones’ writings!) and it encouraged my soul. Oh how we should more often remember that our faith does not come from within us and is not founded on the shifting sands of our moods or the ever changing tides of the wisdom of this world…but our faith is in Christ Himself, as revealed through the external witness of the Holy Scriptures and the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Oh might we rejoice in this thought and take heart. Too easily do I get discouraged by my circumstances and by the trials and tribulations I find myself in. Let me more oft consider the God whose son I am.
2. Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. This is the complete antithesis of the previous book. Definitely not a short book – I don’t know the exact page count, but easily over 800 pages I would think. A classic high fantasy novel. Sanderson is truly one of my favorite authors and I think I own a higher percentage of his books than almost any other author. I’ve also met him a few times, which adds to my liking for him. His writing style is definitely not quite as beautiful as a Tolkien or a Rothfuss, but his world-building and action sequences are almost unparalleled. This book is the third book in his magnum opus Stormlight Archive series and so I shan’t attempt to summarize the plot here, but I much enjoyed this book and will be definitely revisiting it in later re-reads. I’m just sad I’ll have to wait a couple more years for the next book to come out…alas!
So there you have it – the first two books completed for 2018. Already begun another one, will record when finished!
Have a most lovely day, dear friends – may it be a day of joy and peace.
A slow Realisation
Oh what a wonderfully cold morning!! Now I sit nice and cosy at my desk, but previously walking outside feeling the brisk wind whip around me as I clung to my steaming peppermint mocha, feeding off the warmth therein…lovely. I certainly am not complaining about this cold – long may it continue! Also this morning I was listening to music as I drove in…probably my best mix, the tragic fall and most surprising Redemption of anakin skywalker. I always forget what a beautiful mix of songs of it is…a perfect storm of beauty in music. It is also almost certainly the best musical representation I’ve yet put together of a man’s(or woman’s!) journey from darkness to light, culminating in the joy that can only be found by knowing Jesus Christ. It’s been a gorgeous morning and for that I thank my God. Happy Friday, dear friends.
Signed and Sealed
Happy Wednesday friends!! A brief few words…reading in Jeremiah a bit today and was both encouraged and convicted by the words I read therein. Jeremiah is in jail. And the city of Jerusalem is literally under siege by the Chaldeans – with the fall of the city less than 2 years away. Bad circumstances, right? Jeremiah gets a word from the Lord however – telling him to purchase a piece of property as a sign that someday there will be a restoration. And so Jeremiah obeys. But after his obedience, he cries out to the Lord in prayer. And oh might we all pray as he does here – he names the attributes of God – namely, his omnipotence, omniscience, mercy and justice – and he exults in the name of the Lord. But even as he lifts up the name of the Lord, he also confesses and agrees as to the sins of the people and states that the city is surrounded and about to fall. Without questioning God as such, Jeremiah lists the works of the Lord – His judgment and promised redemption. And there is a hint of a question at the end, when Jeremiah mentions the fact that he bought a piece of property…even though the city is about to fall. But Jeremiah’s faith is indeed strong. And God replies(at length! but I shall reproduce only a line): “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”
Truly let us remember that this day. When all seems wrong and all is lost and we think surely nothing good is even possible…think on these words. Jeremiah is imprisoned in a city that is about to fall to a ruthless enemy. We are not normally in situations as dire as this, and so we have even less reason to doubt the goodness of God. Yet, we do doubt, I know. I know because I doubt. And at those times, cry out to the Lord in prayer. Think on the grand and beautiful attributes of God. Remember that God is a God of exceeding lovingkindness and mercy. Think on the great works of the Lord that He has done in your life. And at the end, rest. Rest in the promises of God – He shall surely never leave or forsake you, as long as you shall live. Remember the promises of Christ – His yoke is indeed easy and His burden is light. Go to Him, and you shall have rest for your souls.
the Julii
Happy Sunday friends!! A quick post here as I wait for my pizza…since today is Sunday and it is playoff football time(currently Saints v Panthers – go Carolina!), I decided it was time to get Pizza Hut, mmm…will walk down and pick it up shortly. Anyways, apart from my dinner plans, nothing much going on right now…it is truly nice to rest this night! I’ve had a busy little weekend…Julian’s bachelor party on Friday night(a poker night, where as is tradition I performed valiantly and flamed out quickly!)…then Saturday morning took my car to the shop to get brakes done. Following that, went over and helped Julian move into his new apartment(which will be his and Kelsey’s following their soon coming wedding!! I truly can’t wait for that wedding a week from today….so so excited to see one of my best friends get married. Me and Julian had a great time chatting yesterday and then this morning as I was making coffee for deacon duties…I truly love that guy). The moving took longer than I thought and then had to go do my final fitting for tux, so didn’t get home until late in the afternoon. Later that evening, I went to airport to pick up Julie – she’s now back from her home holidays in Pennsylvania. We had nice chat driving…then once got to her place, she made tea and we got more chat time yay! It was good to catch up after not seeing her for some…three weeks? We chatted about our respective holidays and other sundry things…beautiful conversating, as always. Today was a busy day at church, doing deacon duties from 8 to 1…then had some good times hanging out with Earnie, Mandy, Joe and others…I have good friends here, I must confess. And this afternoon, started my workout routine for first time post Christmas holidays. I put it off long enough…could delay no longer! And just now, had a nice chat with Maryanne…I will get to see her in Charlotte in a little over a month – can’t wait!!! Alright, now it’s time for this very dense paragraph to be over. Hope you don’t mind me just dumping all my weekend activities on you…just thought it was worthwhile to share this snapshot…as busy and tired as I often am, at the end of the day, I simply cannot help but thank God and praise His name for all He has given me. Amen? Amen. Now…time for a nice brisk walk down Heights Boulevard…pizza time is upon us!
Saucy
Happy Friday friends! Was about to write a longer post(really mean to write a semi-review of the latest Star Wars movie at some point and my likes/dislikes of said movie), but alas, my time is slipping away and I must off to work on various things. Many emails call my name. But, enjoying a nice delicious breakfast of peppermint mocha and Las Locas breakfast tacos(best in Houston, so says I!)…brought those in for team and hopefully they’re enjoyed. How could they not, when you can put amazingly tasty green sauce on them?? Anyways, thus is my breakfast. A busy day awaits but the Lord is the One who holds my hand.
Peace and love.
First Date
As of when I hit this post button, I will have posted every single day of this year thus far. Granted, that is only three days. Still – let me bask in this moment, at least for a bit.
Today is Serious Topic Tuesday, a day which may or may not be repeated depending on my mood and work schedule this coming year. But today at least, I have a Topic and so I shall Discuss. What is this topic? Why – it is of days and stars and sundry things. In more mundane terms – astrology.
The soothsayers out there may rejoice in this study of the celestial bodies and their alleged influence on our lives. I do not rejoice at this topic – indeed, it’s been a reason for scoffing oft in my past. But today as I perused one of my online havens, I noted an article about this subject and I wondered why so many people seem to put such stock in something that seems to be founded on such sinking sands. I do not understand. And like most of us, I don’t like not understanding something. I eventually clicked on the article and sighed to myself as I began to read. This article was written in a quite positive manner (I suppose I should cite my source – so it is The Ringer, article link here: Teen Astrologists of Tumblr) and I quickly began to understand the fascination attraction astrology has for so many.
What is its attraction? Well, remember what I said above? We don’t like not understanding a thing. This is true. We – I speak as the human collective – do not like things without meaning, things that do not make sense. When we see the wars raging in this world, our soul crys out: why? When we see the hurricanes and blizzards tear down our homes, our soul crys out: why? And when our relationship fails or our emotions spiral into the abyss of self-reflective loathing, our soul crys out: why? Again – we like to make sense of things. The grand affairs of this world may be beyond the scope of most of us. But our individual lives, surely we can put those in order. Ok maybe not that. But surely we can at least understand why we are the way we are and why things happen to us the way they do. Right? Maybe then we can determine which decisions we should make to maximize our happiness and minimize our failures. And thus is the lure of the study of the stars. It tells us why. It tells a story of ourselves which explains things that we cannot explain on our own. And like all great stories that we love telling, it puts us at the center.
Now – I did not think I would be able to adequately explain this…then I go to to the final two paragraphs of the article. These lines say it all, far better than I could. Excerpted below:
“I was comforted by her response. I’d spent a significant amount of time and effort reporting out this story. And Ives’s breezy logic made me feel at ease. This generation rules the internet! I thought. Case closed! It was only then I understood the awe of her teen fan base. Her relaxed, poetic analysis of whatever complicated life puzzle was thrown her way was therapeutic to witness. It made sense that a young, emotionally ripe teen would find solace in her words.
“It’s stories about you that I’m writing,” Ives ventured, explaining her appeal. “You’re the one who’s divine. You’re the one that’s a god or a goddess. You’re the one that should be worshipped. You’re the one who has all the answers and has all this potential. You don’t need anyone else to bring that out of you; it’s all you. Astrology is just a reflection of that potential. The ultimate truth will be inside you.” Or, in the case of her band of teen followers, somewhere deep down a Tumblr rabbit hole.”
And there you go. This author – props to her by the way on a well written article – said it beautifully. We like things to make sense. We like to think we are as gods. Re-read the above paragraphs and the stark attraction of astrology is immediately evident. The mechanics and foundation of this alleged science are unimportant. What is important is the results – namely, self-discovery, self-realization and self-actualization. Once you have ascended to the throne and sat down, all else is unimportant.
But does reality beg to differ? Why yes, it does. And this is what I find so fascinating. Is astrology real? Is it not? Does it matter? These are all questions that can be pondered, but at the end of the day, one must wonder – what is real? Because if certain things are real, we should shudder at the implications. This is where I get on my soapbox – pardon, but it’s *my* soapbox – and declare that truth does indeed matter. All our self-constructed idealogies crumble and fall before the reality of the universe and He who made it. If there truly is a god – and this god is far more real than a star-crossed fantasy – then there are realities that need to be considered. Who is this god? What impact does this god have on my life? Does the story of this god answer all my deepest questions and quell all my deepest fears? If this story is truly worth telling because it is Real, then I must consider carefully what I believe. What we believe does have consequences. What we believe shapes who we are and what decisions we make. And if there is a god who demands our worship, then we must answer. There is only one throne. Who is on that throne? Is it I? Or is it God?
Consider carefully what is truth before you ascend to that throne. Consider carefully, my friend.
Oathbringer
Today was a quite productive day at work. Yay? But sadly I now feel that I’m getting sick and so I’m forgoing my normal workout routine and as soon as I got home, got in my pajamas and sat on couch. Reading a good book sounds like the plan for the evening. Leftovers of roast beef won’t hurt. And early bed, of course. I do also feel I need to do some writing of some sort – but no muse is present at the moment. I’m half torn between writing weary wintry poetry or workmanlike prose commentary on the year just now past…but again, no muse. Perhaps someday soon. Perhaps someday.
Second Sun
Happy Tuesday, friends! My first day back at work…and while my mind is still sleepy, I am somehow (!?) a bit eager to get back into the swing of things and especially see all my work friends again! This morning was nice and cold here – apparently the cold air is following me around lately! 31 degrees when I got into my car…so lovely(and yes, I mean that sincerely!). Of course, also got my traditional first-day-of-work-week peppermint mocha(and saw Katie for first time in a while – had a nice little chat despite my sleepy state!). Now, as I’m sensing this entry is a bit disjointed and raw…I shall flee to my email inbox and attempt to catch up on all things work. Have a most gorgeous day, dear friends.
Road Goes Ever On
I really have not written enough lately. Apologies.
But today at least…even though I don’t plan on writing much, I can say – Happy New Year!! This year of 2018 is now beginning – may it be ever blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ – amen? Amen.
Today has been a glorious day to begin this new year – a day of rest and joy and fellowship with friends so dear! Since last night I got back from Calgary in the evening, didn’t feel like going to any parties and so I stayed home, hung out with John and Camille and was in bed before 11. Slept straight through to sometime after 6 this morning – ringing in the new year is overrated, says I. This morning went and got breakfast with Earnie and Julian…over three hours at Starbucks/Buffalo Grille and what topic didn’t we cover? I shan’t describe our conversations…but I am truly blessed with such friends as them. Heartily encouraged. Following that, went and did a shop at HEB, then home for laundry, etc!
This afternoon has been amazing – I started by putting together my roast beef dinner. A nice eye of round roast with potatoes and onions and carrots – now in the oven “resting”. I will be able to eat it sometime this evening. Eventually. Apartment smells simply wonderful just now. And these past few hours, been relaxing on the couch with my coffee and reading and Rachmaninoff. Also been texting a bit with friends – guess I shouldn’t omit that! Reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones “Authority” – read the chapter on the authority of Jesus Christ right now and while I probably should excerpt some so you can get the beauty of his words, I’ll just encourage you to read it on your own. Understanding that there is nothing on this earth that is more important for us to understand than that our salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. What shall we preach but Christ crucified? There is nothing that shall answer that aching longing in our souls except to be filled up to the utmost by the glory of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen and Amen.
And…on that note, back to coffee and reading…
