Tag: journal

Curious

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Good evening my friends! My dinner(chicken parm!) is in the oven and I’m looking forward to a nice relaxing evening involving aforesaid dinner and possibly a little Redskins/Cowboys game action as well! Because I’m actually eating dinner early for once, I hope to have some good reading time(possibly involving chocolate and coffee? I say yes) before I go to bed.

But I did not write this post just to talk about my evening plans – no – I wanted to celebrate the birth of Chris and Jo’s baby girl!

Elizabeth(Lily) Aria George was born early this morning to some very happy and very weary parents! And she is just beautiful. And they are pretty much one of the most awesome families ever, let it be written! I couldn’t express my joy enough this morning when I discovered the news. Now as I think of Chris and Jo and Lily…I simply praise our God from whom all blessings flow. I love you guys!!!

And now, time to sprinkle some cheese on my chicken parm before putting it back in the oven. Mmm, dinner.

Peace and love.

Violetta

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Saturday!! I’m here at Beans Cafe – already had my breakfast an hour ago or so, and now I have my Earl Grey sitting in front of me and I thought – no better time to write a bit! I wanted to begin this morning by something I’ve been reading – thought it was simply wonderful and I couldn’t not share. I’ve been reading in Acts lately. This is such a fantastic book, one that I always enjoy reading, because the power and Spirit of God is working mightily in the early church – and seeing how God works through His people is something to behold. So encouraging. And so I come to Acts chapter ten today. This is one of the first recorded instances of a Jew preaching to a Gentile audience. Shocking!! So God calls Peter to go and share His gospel with Cornelius. Peter obeys God. Peter goes to the house of a non-Jew, and there – he preaches the Word of God. This is truly remarkable. It’s a bit hard to convey how earth-shattering this moment is. But for a Jew who had considered Gentiles to be implacable enemies of God and totally undeserving of any grace, the fact that Peter would share the gospel of God with ones such as these…this account is stunning. Let me just share Peter’s words, because I think they are far better than any words I could say! From Acts 10, verse 34 on –

Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is
welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching
peace through Jesus Christ(He is Lord of all) – you yourselves know
the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the
baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth,
how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He
went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for
God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both
in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by
hanging Him up on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted
that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were
chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He
arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and
solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as
Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that
through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

And this is the gospel of God. Love it. And just the fact that this inaugurates the preaching of the gospel of God to all peoples makes it even more awesome. Right after Peter says the above words, the Spirit falls upon all who were listening to His message and they believed and were baptised and were rejoicing and praising God. Hallelujah!

And now that I’ve written the above, I’m not sure what else I can write, but I suppose I can let you know that yes – I’m still settling in to Houston life! Me and Alex hit up the opera last night and well…it was quite good. Just because I don’t want to plagiarise myself – I’ll excerpt a review I wrote on another forum:

La Traviata dir. Enrique Carreon-Robledo. So, my first few weeks back in Houston, and I was able to get a ticket to see my very first opera! Background info – I’ve always said I never like opera, mostly because my only exposure to it has been random video clips or music on my iTunes that I’ve just..never found enjoyable. So I said yes to my friend’s invite, but went in expecting not to like this. Instead…the only word I could think of to describe it at the time – magnificent.

I didn’t know the story ahead of time, and so watched it with my heart in my mouth, wondering what was going to happen – and how it would end. The venue was a small theatre(probably less than 200 people, but we were at full capacity), and somehow me and my friend had scored front row tickets. Not quite ideal, since the translation screen was a bit hard to see from our angle, but in actuality, this was perfect. Being front row(touching the stage with my feet!!), I felt part of the performance – totally enthralled by it. I didn’t always know the exact words they were saying, but it didn’t even matter. All of the talent was simply top-notch. I was stunned by how good the performance was – Violetta was simply amazing – and I was in love with the way her voice spiraled and dueled with the orchestra. Magnificent.

I really shouldn’t make this review any longer, but just know that my opinion of the opera has been changed. I think I’m going to have to see more. I also really loved the intimate nature of the venue – afterwards, some of the cast came down to greet us – I really should have gone up and thanked them for their performance, but was too shy! As Americans are wont to do, we gave a standing ovation as well. I thought it was deserved.

So there you go – magnificent. Beautiful. I really should make a point to go to more fine art performances, whether it be music or theater. My problem is, I never like to go to things like this alone, but I simply will have to find people to come with me!! Anyways, it was great fun being with Alex again, and enjoying a fine performance…I can’t complain, even if it was a late Friday night!

And I don’t think I wrote about last weekend – I spent Saturday night last week at Abby and Claire and Charlotte’s house! It was grand – they threw a “Welcome back to America” party – slash game night. Really, just a good excuse for a party. I actually didn’t know half the people there, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I also saw again some people I haven’t seen in over three years! So we played lots of games(Signs, Balderdash, etc…) and laughed heaps, and enjoyed quality time together. I have good friends, what can I say? God is good to me. Always.

And tonight I’ll be going to the Jacobs for dinner! Will be awesome – was so great seeing them this past Sunday – and I’ve not been to their house in over three years! So looking forward to a good evening there(I’m quite positive there will be some ping-pong played, definitely ready for that!).

I could definitely write more, but I have suspicions this post is quite long enough as it is. Enjoy and God bless you all, my friends. Just know that despite my sometimes sighs as I think back on my time in Scotland and my dear friends there, I have no doubt that God is with me and leading me in every step I take. His Word is indeed a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. He takes me by the hand when I stumble and leads me in paths everlasting. So I have no fear, no worries. Well actually, I do at times when my flesh is weak and feeble, but then my Lord reminds me that He is the one who holds my hand. Even youths may grow tired and weary, but those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength and will mount up on wings like eagles…y’all, like eagles! So let us – like eagles – soar on the wings of the dawn and look to the heavens, where Jesus sits at the right hand of God Himself. When we fret and sigh at the miseries of this world, look to Jesus and remember that He is Lord and He is God. Worship Him, and all else fades away like the early-morning fog into the grey of the sea with the rising of the sun…

Peace, my friends.

Straight Street

James HoganLeave a comment

Good evening, my friends!! Thought I’d write a few words – I do promise I’ll write something more in depth at some point, but it is not this day! My pizza is in the oven and it’s only a few minutes away from delicious perfection, so I have a deadline. The Tigers/A’s game is on(winner advances to face the Red Sox…who the Rays were defeated by earlier this week. Sadness) and I’m enjoying a quiet evening!! It was great fun talking to Katheryn earlier – hadn’t had a proper chat with her in a while! One of the awesome things about living in America again…I can have long conversations with people here again! So yeah, we had a good talk. Then got to talk to Dad and now it’s dinner time. Hurrah!

Tomorrow is Friday and I will enjoy a good day working before going to the opera with Alex. Will be good to hang out with him again, even though my enjoyment of the opera is still an open question. We shall see!

Now I’m off. Oh and one more thing – in case you were unsure, title refers to my reading this morning – Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road. Such a glorious moment. And it’s possible that our moments of salvation were not quite as dramatic, but the wonder that we have a God who loves us and saved us from our sins…this joyful wonder never ceases. Never ever. Peace, my friends!!

Many Waters

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Good evening my friends!! I thought I’d write a few words this fine Wednesday night! The baseball game is on(Rays-Indians Wild Card game, Rays up 3-1 in the top of the fifth…plenty more baseball to play. Go Rays!) and soon I think I’m going to have a small cup of coffee – it won’t keep me up, I swear! I am now over two weeks in Houston, and while I’ll say I’m not yet settled here…I’m getting there. I just filed an application for an apartment yesterday! So crazy. I’m trying to think what else to write here, but I’m terribly distracted by the game at the moment!! Oh I know – happy birthday, Mom!!! Sadly I can’t be in the same place tonight, but hey – at least I’m within a time zone!!

Anyways – I think I’m apparently in not too much of a writing mood! Must be all the pizza I had for dinner! Now I’m going to get my coffee and enjoy watching a bit more baseball. But after this inning, think I’ll take a break and read for a bit. I have to say, I’ve thought a lot lately(well, mostly today!) about the importance of us all to keep our eyes on Jesus – always. Too easy is it for us to get distracted by the things of this world, even good things! We can get so caught up in thinking about ourselves. Or we think about dear friends and people that we love and let our longing for them carry us away from our passion for our Lord. May it never be! So let not our love for our God be diluted by the desire for things that do not matter. Let not our eyes wander far from the glory that is Christ.

I clearly had more words in me than I thought – my heart swirls this night. I definitely am going to have a little quiet time now – with my coffee! G’night, y’all.

Beans

James HoganLeave a comment

I keep meaning to write a proper entry here. One in which I go through my life as of late, what I’m thinking – what I’m learning. But I keep failing miserably at that, partly because I never manage to turn on my computer when I have enough time to actually sit down and write! Well, someday. I’m actually sitting in Beans Cafe just now, but it’s almost 11:30 and I think it’s time I move on! I came here a few hours ago and had a nice omelette to go with my iced coffee(yes, when walking from my apartment to here, I decided there was absolutely no way I was going to get a hot drink. Not going to happen). I should have a little time this afternoon to run errands and clean my place a bit, but tonight – wedding time! (Don’t worry, not mine). Bethany is getting married tonight, what!!! I’m so fortunate that I’m actually back in Houston for it! So me and Megan are going to drive over there at 4:30, and a night of joy and love and awesomeness will be had. So let it be written. So let it be done.

And why have I not had more quiet times to write lately? Well, I’m still trying to settle in here. Still trying to find a “permanent” apartment. Still trying to meet people(went to my first “community group” this past Tuesday night! One linked with Bethel Church). And last night, went to my first-ever book signing!! Got to meet Brandon Sanderson, whoa! He’s the author of some of my favorite books. Besides finishing the Wheel of Time series, he’s also written heaps of other books, including one of my all-time favorites – Mistborn. Anyways, it was weird being there where I realised how much more everyone there knew about his books than I did. I’m used to being pretty knowledgeable about books…yeah, I was outclassed there. Still, great fun meeting him(despite me feeling oddly nervous!!) – I even confessed to being a failure as a writer, since I agonise too much over my writing and don’t just sit down and *write*. He was very chatty and when I went back later in the night to get a few more books signed, he remembered my name! Very cool guy.

Now, I think I’m going to close my computer, get a cup of Earl Grey, and enjoy some quiet reading time. I love you all, my friends.

Wild Card

James HoganLeave a comment

Just going to write a few words tonight, because I can! Hope you all are doing well this fine evening, my friends(whether you’re in Scotland and now sleeping or…not in Scotland and probably still awake!) I currently have a pot of chili bubbling away on the stove and the Rays-Yankees game on TV. Fantastic!

And now just chatting with a few friends and I’ve decided it’s time to bring this extremely brief entry to a close. I do want to eat dinner soon after all – and after that, a good book calls my name. This is indeed a sweet night that my Lord God has given me.

Peace, my friends!!

Little Flock

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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.

Full Moon

James HoganLeave a comment

I’m going to say this now – will not write much!

Feels so good to sit down and relax with my coffee, feeling clean after my shower and enjoying the end of a long and productive day. Me and Dad have definitely been making the most of our time here!! Oh yeah, and by here – I mean Houston! After a two day drive through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas – we finally arrived in Houston this past Sunday! It’s a bit weird to be back after a three year absence, but I know it is good for me to be here.

And I did say I’d be brief – Dad’s talking to Maryanne now, and I think I’m going to get handed the phone soon! Anyways, this evening after a long day of errands(mostly involving driver’s license fun times – I now have a temporary Texas driver’s license!) we made a delicious dinner of hamburgers, baked potatoes and green beans! We also watched the Rays lose to the Rangers, but that’s unimportant.

Anyways, now I’m off. Peace, my friends.

The Outback

James HoganLeave a comment

So I do not have too much time to write now! But thought I’d write a quick paragraph as I sit here at home – home in Tampa! Back in the USA, y’all!! I still can’t really believe it, and still don’t think I’ve fully comprehended that I won’t be traveling back to Scotland in a few days. But it’s true. One saga of my life has ended, a new one is about to begin. And so now, as I listen to the Rays/Twins game in the background and get ready to eat ice cream with Mom and Dad, I will say no more. Just ever so thankful for the love of God! I love you, my friends, always.

Also – happy 27th anniversary to you, Dad and Mom!!!! You’re the best parents anyone could ever dream of. I love you so.

Glorious

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And now I sit at work with my coffee, a few minutes before eight. Time to start work soon, but I wanted to write just a bit. I’ve been meaning to write more for a while now, but I simply have no time!! I’ve been spending all my free time with my dear friends. And this is not a bad thing at all.

And as I begin my final day here in Aberdeen, I do not know what to say. Other than I must and shall praise my God for all that He has given to me. Praise Him with great praise!!

I think on the past few days and all the glorious times contained therein. A most lovely dinner at Lairhillock with John and Ruth – friends eternal. Hanging out with John on Friday night, watching Batman(oh no, now Batman music is stuck in my head…) and just relaxing together. Glorious.

Sunday. Would take far too long to describe now, but being in my church. Being with my family. Saying farewell, but never forever. Praying and thanking our God and Father for his boundless blessings to us. Worshipping together and hearing the Word of God preached. Saying goodbye to far too many dear friends and being crushed by the kindnesses and encouraging words lavished upon me. Yesterday stopping by Chris and Jo’s for one last cuppa and chat. Oh how I’ll miss them. Then being with John and Andrew Wilson last night, enjoying some classic frozen pizzas(baked in our shiny oven – finally clean after what John aptly named the Great Calsayseat Oven Cleaning Debacle of 2013!).

And I’m just writing what I’ve been doing, not what I’m feeling. Because I don’t quite want to delve into my emotions at the moment, but suffice it to say that I feel my heart swirling in a maelstrom of love and longing and joy. So so happy to be going back to America – to see my family!! So so sad to leave so many friends back here. But what can I say? I am blessed. I am blessed.

And today, driving to work for the last time, listening to Classic FM and watching the blustery skies and the brilliant sea flash by as I pondered these last few beautiful years…

And now, it’s time to go and take cakes out to the guys in the shop, say my farewell to them!

Peace, my friends. Always.