Tag: coffeeshop

Little Flock

James HoganLeave a comment

So just reading some fantastic verses here – Luke 12 is really a great chapter! I’m not even done with it yet, but so many good parts – I’ll just excerpt the following:

‘But seek His kingdom, and these things will be
added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for
your Father has chosen gladly to give you the
kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity;
make yourselves money belts which do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief
comes near nor moth destroys. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.’
-Jesus Christ, Luke 12:32-34

I could quote a lot more, but you’ll just have to read for yourselves! Anyway, just good to ponder these things, especially living in a city and culture consumed by the longing to make itself happier by the gaining of material possessions. Truly, these things matter so little – when we know our Lord Jehovah is coming back someday soon, how can we be so enthralled by the things of this world? I know not, but it is good for us to remind ourselves how important it is to dwell on the things of God instead, and to follow His commandments and to love as He has loved us.

And now I say – I did not mean to write so much, but I will not take it back now! I am currently sitting here at Beans Cafe Coffeehouse…in Houston, Texas. Because yes, I am truly moved back to America and I am no longer in Aberdeen, my friends. I must confess – this coffeehouse is only a mile away from my apartment, yet I drove here! I was going to walk, but it was raining and so…yeah, I crumbled. Oh well, guess no Saturday morning walk for me.

And this place is fantastic, even if it’s no Books and Beans! It’s only one floor, and it’s much smaller than Books and Beans, but it looks like it offers lunch too, which makes me happy. I’ve already read a bit and posted some pictures on facebook and now I think it’s time to read some emails from some dear friends and respond to those. Maybe I’ll write more here later?

We’ll see. For now, farewell, my friends. Farewell from Houston.

Last Train Home

James HoganLeave a comment

Hello my friends! I sit here this morning, as traditional, at Books and Beans! I’ve been here far too long, but now I’m waiting for John so we can grab lunch, so hopefully he turns up soon!

Ok – so John got here like ten minutes ago and we’ve been looking through my newest music playlist, Calsayseat – he approves! And now it’s lunchtime. Peace y’all!

Fingal’s Cave

James HoganLeave a comment

So, sitting in Books and Beans, halfway through my mocha at the moment. Pretty soon, Graham’s going to turn up, so I can’t write too long! But for now, just thought I’d let my fingers dance over the keyboard for a few minutes and get a small update in!! Am still a bit sleepy this morning, even with my coffee. But that’s probably due to the fact that I did not get home until a ridiculous hour of the morning last night. My bad! Last night was my work leaving do – yes, the end is upon me! So was out with the gang at Revolution for dinner and drinks and good quality fun!! We were there for hours, and obviously since it was my party, I couldn’t just leave early. Yes, excuses, but a good excuse I say! Eventually Caroline came and met me at Rev, and we hung out for a bit before it was home time…at some hour of the morning I will not specify. Good times were had though!! I’m going to miss my work friends…they’re a good group. And we actually have fun together too, shock! And Caroline…I’ve only known her for some four months, but definitely going to miss her a lot! Oh why do we have to leave friends behind? But again, I can only bless the Lord my God for giving me such precious friends. And that’s all I can say.

And now, this update is turning from an actual update into an emotional musing! Ah well.

And Thursday night – ever so lovely! Me and Chris and Jo hit up Cosmo’s – where lots of yummy food was ingested and lots of delightful chat was had. Oh such good times!! And then afterwards, when I suggested we have coffee, Jo had a much better idea – rather than pay for coffee at Cosmo’s…we could have it at their place! So we drove over to their house, where delicious late-night coffee was enjoyed to the tune of a couple episodes of Spaced. Ridiculous. Hilarious. Such such a good night. As with Chris and Jo, it always is. Y’know. Any tiredness the next day was so totally worth it.

Anyways, Graham is going to be here any minute, so going to close this out. Maybe write more later!!

Peace.

Books and Beans

James HoganLeave a comment

Third update in three days, what!! Just popping in to say hello to you all this fine Saturday morning. It’s a bit grey and dreary outside(and not warm at all – where did summer go?) but that is no matter. I’m inside and enjoying my coffee this day. Just spent a few hours cleaning out my computer and doing random maintenance tasks on it. It may be going on six years old, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to not take care of it. May it last another six! (Ok, that’s extremely doubtful)

Anyways, also enjoyed some sweet Psalms this morning(Psalms 9 and 10 – go read them!) And now before I go get my lunch, think I’m going to finish my mocha and read a letter from a dear friend. And after that, who knows? Should probably go home and do some packing. We shall see. But in all these worldly things I do, let I remember the One who made this world and all it contains. As I go throughout this day and rejoice in the wonderful gifts I have received, may I think on Jesus and the wonder of knowing Him. May I meditate on His beauty. May I rest in His love. May I ponder on all He is and was and ever shall be! And I pray that you all may know the joy I have in knowing my Jesus and my God. Peace, my friends – always.

Now, it is more coffee time. I think I shall be bad and go order another mocha. Mine here is cold. So gonna hop downstairs and get that and then retreat back up here and enjoy another hour here enjoying the beautiful music floating through the air and the comfortable sounds of people talking about their days and the reading I have in front of me. Farewell, yo.

Lord of the Sabbath

James HoganLeave a comment

One of my favorite passages recently…witness the grace and compassion and fierce anger of our Lord Jesus – marvel at His love and almighty power!

He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the main with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?”

But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” – Mark 3:1-5

Don’t have too many comments to add…just wanted to say how much I love reading about Jesus. I hope y’all feel the same!!

And now I guess I can write a few more words – chilling at Books and Beans(literally, instead of going from out in the cold to the warmth of this coffeeshop, I came from out of the heat to the coolness and shade here. Yay summer!!). I’m enjoying the remnants of my mocha(yeah, it’s definitely not hot anymore) and trying to persuaded myself to budge from my chair here. I shall soon enough, because it is a marvelously hot and sunny day outside and I need to soak it in. But for now, I want to finish writing this and then maybe write a couple letters while I have my lunch.

Anyways – I’ve had quite a busy week both at work and with people, so suppose I’ll share a few highlights! Working backwards…last night was most lovely and awesome – went over to Chris and Jo’s for a most fun evening involving delicious lasagna and salad and some yummy Tokaji as well! Besides just hanging out and eating and talking, we also watched “Princess Mononoke”, a delightful Miyazaki film. Oh gosh, how I’m going to miss these guys.

Thursday night – me and John and Rosemary went to cinema to see “Now You See Me”, a fun magic/heist/action movie. Morgan Freeman and Jesse Eisenberg and other fine actors made for a good movie, and of course being with cool people didn’t hurt. Wednesday night was bible study! Still studying Elisha, and as always, Dominic spoke with power and our prayer/chat time was oh so encouraging!!

Tuesday night! Hm, trying to remember what I did this night…did I just stay at home and have a quiet night? I think I must have, hah, seeing as I can’t recall what else I did. Monday night though, me and Mike and Chris and Phil went and saw “Pacific Rim”, which was ridiculous and gorgeous and crazy and really really fun. It was basically a movie about the end of the world and giant alien sea-monsters and mechs and really really amazing battles. Coolest scene – a mech riding a sea-alien into outer space and then pulling out a sword and slicing it in two. I think that sums up the movie. Anyway, we loved it. SO MUCH FUN.

And working backwards a bit more, while I don’t think I can do it justice at all(and this entry is already far too long), last weekend I was not here in Aberdeen, but with Joel and Graham, rafting the River Tay and enjoying the countryside in full summer bloom. We spent most of a day building our raft(felt a bit like Huck Finn!! Our raft – so much better) and then sailed a bit down the river…had a few adventures(like swamping our raft and almost losing all our stuff to the bottom of the river) and eventually we finally set up camp along the riverbank. Took us a few hours to properly set up and get the fire going. Finally, we were watching the sunset over the river and enjoying the first few bites of roast lamb…when we got an angry estate-keeper who kicked us off “his” land. Sad day! It was pretty late, but thankfully the cavalry(in the form of John, Duncan and Russell) arrived pretty much at the same time. After we delivered the sad news, we broke down camp and headed off to Graham’s house in their cars. Not quite the camping we had planned, but hey. An epic weekend was had.

Now, it’s really time to get going! Don’t know how much of my planned letters I’ll get written, but I’m really hungry for lunch. I’m in a soup mood – carrot and coriander today, methinks. Peace my friends!!

Leviathan

James HoganLeave a comment

Spending my last few minutes in Books and Beans here before I dash out into the warm sunshine! It’s a glorious day outside, but I needed some quality writing time, so I thought I’d chill here for a few hours first. But now I can see the sunshine slanting fiercely upon the stone walls across the street and I just cannot resist the urge to go outside any longer. But quickly! Had a sweet time this morning with Joel and Graham and and Ben…good breakfast time with some awesome guys. Talking and praying and enjoying some sweet cinnamon rolls. Not a bad way to start my morning, although I was a bit sleepy after a late night yesterday! Yesterday, following a brutal day at work…I went to Chris and Jo’s for dinner! As always, a most marvelous night was had, full of random fictional linguistic discussion, Tomb Raider intensity and occasional kitty interruptions. I love you guys. And really, as I drove to their place last night and watched the sun’s rays play upon the folds of Aberdeenshire, I thought again how much I’m going to miss it here. I do think I’m going to be moving back to the States this year, but the closer I get to that impending possibility…the more I realize how much I love everyone here. And I rejoice in this fact, and yet I’m sad. I’m going to miss y’all deeply.

And now, enough melancholy from me. Going to finish my sandwich and go hang with Mike Patrick this beautiful afternoon. Time to soak in the sun. Peace, y’all.

Cross-roads

James HoganLeave a comment

My mug is almost dry of mocha deliciousness and my body is aching to go back up into the sunlight this gloriously bright Saturday! And yet I sit here and write, the reasons for which are murky in the recesses of my mind. But maybe it’s just been too long since I’ve properly written, or maybe it’s just because I have too many thoughts swirling around and they’re in need of release. Or maybe it’s just because I’m in a talkative mood? (Or whatever word would be more appropriate for the written word!) Perhaps my muse is just a bit over-caffeinated? Surely not. Anyways, almost half twelve here and that is quite late enough to spend here in the depths of Starbucks.

But briefly now(who am I kidding?), saw Dark Knight Rises last night with Alec and Chris and Jo…most intense. Epic. Heart-pounding(seriously, the music had my adrenaline pumping pretty much the whole movie). Did I love it? Hard to say, as it is a rather dark movie(like the previous two). But this movie ended in the light. And for that, I do think I can safely say I enjoyed it much. It contained echoes of terror, glimpses of hope. I think I can safely say it’s my favorite movie the year, thus far. Which isn’t saying much, since I think I’ve only seen three to four this year. But still.

And now that the previous paragraph(as disjointed as it was) is over, time to return to my fleet-footed thoughts. This past week at work has been both stressful and God-glorifying. Truly, if God is for me(as He most truly is!), what can mere man do to me?? This is the height of rhetorical questions. And while my future still seems but a haze to me, it is not the dim fog of fear, but merely the misty wind of the unknown. I cannot – shall not – ever doubt that my future is anything but good. Because I serve a good God. Because I serve a living God.

And truly, my thoughts wander far afield yet again. But it is good to write. My fingers have been idle too long.

A road that winds over the banks
of fog and fear and fires below,
seems to end in mists and sand and
trails off into deepest shadow.

But never doubt! Why do I cry
when I do not wander alone
or whisper unheard or even
sink deep into my bed unknown.

A road that lies over the mounts
of lies and hope and cruelest pain
shall surely not end in terror
but proceed upward, home again.

It is good to rest this gorgeous day. It is good for me to be here.

And now, up into the sunlight do I go. Have a most beautiful day, my most treasured friends!

Three Steps to Summer

James HoganLeave a comment

I’m in Starbucks and getting ready to move out and do some shopping, but before then – wanted to write at least a small update! Had a pretty good week at work, quite possibly my least stressful week in quite some time! And the whole city(and country) is going a bit crazy over the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee(sixty years IS a long time, I suppose), so I’m looking forward to going over to the Smart’s for a Jubilee party on Tuesday night.

This morning I’ve been relaxing with my reading(classic Proverbs with some Ezekiel for good measure, plus a letter from dearest Laura!) and doing some tune-up on my laptop. For some reason, Windows has gobbled up some 28 GB of hard disc space, drastically eating away at my free space. Not cool, Windows. Not cool at all. So got to do some cmd prompt wizardry and free up some 15 GB of that. Excellent. Felt like I was back in high school – been a while since I’ve actually been able to use any of my computer knowledge!!

Also just downloaded some Andrew Belle music(graciously introduced to him by Steph – many thanks. *bows*) Great summertime music – oh I love “In Your Sleep”! I’m attempting to compile a summertime CD for my work driving pleasure, but I’ve only been able to find 12 suitable songs – tragic! Any suggestions?

Now, I really think I’ve been in Starbucks quite some time, so about time to go. Before I do though, you all should read through some of the prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel…quite intense. The Book of Isaiah is grand, majestic and awe-inspiring. The Book of Jeremiah is tragic, mournful and almost depressing. And the Book of Ezekiel is enigmatic and tears-inducing. Of course, those are just my surface impressions, but reading them through is as encouraging an exercise as any I’ve done in some time, as much as they can bring me to feel such great sorrow. We are not that different now, than the stone-faced and hard-hearted people of Israel. Good to balance the prophets with some classic Thessalonians(always so encouraging!) Just read Ezekiel 22 today – seriously, go and read it. The sins of the people are grave. And the Lord will not forestall his wrath forever, although His compassion and lovingkindness are indeed greater than the skies and stretch further than the east is from the west. That I would be a man who would stand in the gap before the Lord. This is my prayer.

And now that that unexpected profusion has come to an end…it is time for me to flee Starbucks to the light of a Scottish afternoon!