Tag: journal

Thanksgiving

James HoganLeave a comment

And as I sit this evening with a plate of turkey, baked potatoes and stuffing on my lap, I just can’t help but exult in our most awesome God! I just got off the phone with Mom and Dad and Laura and Maryanne and Steve and Vickie…and hearing their voices and hearing their love, oh how I long to be with them now! But I cannot complain! Truly, I am ever so thankful for everything that I have been so abundantly blessed with…it would take me an age to list what I am thankful for and I am very hungry and want to eat my dinner so I will only say this – I am oh so overwhelmed by the goodness and love of our Lord.

To all you in America, Happy Thanksgiving – I love you all so much!! To all you not in America…I love you too!!

Peace and love.

Girl Named Tennessee

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And this sleepy Tuesday night, I am greatly looking forward to my dinner and my bed! But firstly, I must earn these rewards by at least a bit of writing this night! My dinner is quite an epic salad(lettuce, spinach, red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, black olives, green olives, cheese, green onions, spices, balsamic vinegar, etc, etc…delicious much? Oh and side note – as much as I enjoy being able to put a whole can of black olives on the salad and eating as many of them as I want, I sort of miss being able to fight with the sisters for the olives. Just saying). Anyway! Enough about my salad! Soon enough I will eat it, but now just a few words about my weekend of loveliness in the great land of Hungary…

And it’s something I said to Anna yesterday, but just to say again, there are some things that just can’t be expressed in words. My heart is full of joy and love and wonder and yet my lips cannot say words enough to echo the depths of my soul. And still I try. So here we go…

On Friday evening, flew late from Aberdeen through Frankfurt(where I had to run, but I did catch my flight, hurrah!) before arriving in Budapest! And breezed through the terminal to the welcoming hall to see Anna standing there! After more than a year, it felt like it’d been no time at all as we spent the drive back to her hometown of Miskolc talking almost nonstop(as tired as I was!!). And now to attempt to paint a picture of the wonderfulness of the weekend…woke up Saturday morning to an amazing breakfast(toast with cheese, scrambled eggs, gorgeous coffee sweetened with honey and milk…) shared with Anna, Boroka and their dad before Anna and I explored Miskolc together! Seeing her church and her old school, wandering through ancient castles and eating way too much delicious ice cream and cakes, walking through a lovely park in the gently fading sunlight of an autumn evening…enjoying a massive dinner of goulash and pancakes and laughter with the family…watching a TV show with classic traditional Hungarian dancing and music with Anna and Boroka and their grandparents and loving every second! And yes, still on the first day! I really can’t properly get my thoughts across, but oh well! A few more fond memories…dipping popcorn in melted chocolate while sleepily watching Bourne Identity(I think Anna only fell asleep twice! Me and Boroka resisted)…worshiping our great God in their church Avasi Reformatus Sunday morning, and while not knowing most of the words(but Anna was a great translator!), still soaking in the love and joy that was oh so present..oh what a joy it is to sing praises to the Lord, no matter what tongue we speak! And I really desire dinner now…but a few more words, I swear!

Sunday lunch was a grand affair(even though I did no work…Anna and I were able to walk Daisy their dog and talk and talk and talk as Boroka and her mother did most of the cooking!) And finally we all(Anna, Boroka, the grandparents and the parents and me!) sat down and enjoyed a dinner of roast chicken and potatoes and sweet pudding…but far better than the food was sitting and enjoying each other. And afterwards, Anna and I eventually got on the train(I think we missed the first few train times, but that was no matter…more time with the family!) to Budapest! And Budapest, oh I wish I had more words to describe it! But Anna and I walked its broad streets that next day and as I marveled at the grand palaces and churches and bridges and structures that man had so proudly constructed, I couldn’t help but pray for the great city of Budapest. Oh so lovely. Oh so needing of our Savior! And as Anna and I walked and talked and ate and laughed and prayed and rejoiced in the knowledge of knowing our Lord…I cannot help but thank God for giving me such a gorgeous weekend. Maybe one short on sleep! But one full of the peace that comes from the Spirit of God…I just think back to my thoughts as I sat in Miskolc Sunday afternoon, piano playing sweetly, as I pondered how much my God and Father has blessed me in this life… Oh what joy is mine!!!

And now it is truly time for dinner…I hope you didn’t mind this slightly rambling post, but I just had to at least try and translate some of my heart to page. A futile effort, alas. But to be blessed so greatly by our God…oh what bliss is ours in abundance, my friends!

Grace and peace and love be with you all. Always.

Dawnsong

James HoganLeave a comment

And this beautiful Friday morning, as the sun slowly pierces through the veil of clouds above…I just wanted to say how thankful I am for little things like a comfortable warm office and coffee brewing and a doughnut ready to be eaten…a good breakfast, nay? And so I am thankful indeed to my Father God this day!

And later this afternoon, I am headed off to Budapest to begin a sweet weekend adventure in Hungary with my dear friend Anna! Can’t wait!! Being in Hungary will be awesome, of course. But sweet conversations with Anna…even better.

I love y’all – keep up the good fight.

Return

James HoganLeave a comment

And what is this?! Two entries in two days? Shocking!!

And why am I not at Wednesday night church this night, you may ask? Well, maybe you didn’t ask, but grant me this for the sake of my train of thought..

So yeah, feeling a bit sick tonight and am a bit weary and really looking forward to a relaxing dinner and a good book. As much as I miss being with my brothers and sisters this night, I am no less capable of praying right here from my couch. And I think I shall.

Peace, y’all.

Music of the Heart

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Just a few words…oh so beautiful!

When my heart was embittered
and I was pierced within,
then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.

Nevertheless I am continually with You.
You have taken hold of my right hand.
With Your counsel You will guide me,
and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion
forever.

And now as my heart is full and my tongue has no more words…I will return to my delicately crafted spinach salad and rejoice this night. Farewell, y’all!

Love and peace.

Slow Love Slow

James HoganLeave a comment

And it’s a gorgeous Saturday morning here in Aberdeen! The sun is burning bright, a chill is in the air, and while I’m a bit sleepy…I am at peace this morn. I must write quickly now(we’ll see how that goes!) because I’m waiting for my sandwich to arrive here at Books and Beans(and yes, I stood up Starbucks today. Horrors!). Had a delightful morning thus far, getting some errands done and then a bit of reading here as I enjoyed my raspberry mocha. Posted some pictures from my recent Nightwish adventure on facebook and now thought a bit of writing was called for!

It’s been a long week, and yea, exhausting as well. But still, my Father holds my hand. And He is with me. Always. And last night was a beautiful Friday night that was granted me! Heather let us home a bit early from work and so I arrived home by 5:20! John decided that it was a good plan to go to the chip shop and I agreed – so we went down and got some nice chips..came home and had them with his leftover chicken casserole. Absolutely perfect Friday night dinner. Following, we rolled off to the youth group social at the Bruce’s house in the country – bonfire time! As we pulled up, the fire was roaring in the middle of the lawn, stretching some fifteen feet into the sky.

And so a lovely evening of enjoying the fire, hot cocoa and good company. I couldn’t ask for anything more relaxing or perfect on a cold November evening. Beautiful.

And now my lunch has arrived! Before I dive in…a few last words…


Red and yellow and
swirling orange and
tongues of smoke.
Glowing embers and
burning driftwood and
singing flames.
Prayers rising and
eyes sparkling and
peace abounds.

Nightwish

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And this will be a blitz of an entry – as I’m currently a bit starved and feel that a frozen pizza is calling my name this evening! But I cannot help but write at least a little this night!! Last night, got to experience an amazing event of music and beauty…seeing Nightwish live in concert. And yes, it was *AMAZING*.

Most live shows, you can’t really get across in plain words. Even a video wouldn’t do it justice! But take my word for it. And for those of you that are not Nightwish fans, let me briefly describe them: a band from Finland, sometimes described as orchestral power metal, sometimes described as symphonic power metal, and always described as crazy awesome beautiful music makers!! If you want a good intro, youtube “Sleeping Sun Nightwish”. Gorgeous.

Anyways, before I succumb to my hunger and end this entry…let my fingers be off and tell this tale! And let me warn you now…if you’re not one of the two Nightwish fans I know and are reading this…you may get bored partway through. My apologies. I just want to chronicle this while the memory is fresh!

Took the train into Glasgow yesterday afternoon(on which I got some sweet reading and even a little napping in!) and then met Jackie!! Which was absolutely amazing because I hadn’t seen her in ages…and by ages I mean a couple months. But still, so so good to see her again! We grabbed dinner(steak and chips mmm..) and had a delightful time chatting and catching up…my only regret is we didn’t have a chance to talk more, because sadly, we eventually had to make our way to the O2 for the show! After queuing for a bit, me and Jackie finally made our way indoors – beautiful venue!

Before the show started, we met a couple girls that also live in Aberdeen and had sweet times talking with them – eventually made our way to the floor, where we got spots super-close to the stage! We took lots of random pictures and eventually the show started! The support act was ok, but a little bit too crazy for me! And then…it was Nightwish time. They opened up with Storytime from their new album and then went into Dark Chest of Wonders and then I Wish I had an Angel! I have to admit, really weird(yet awesome!) seeing them actually play the songs live after listening to them for the past four years…seeing Tuomas interact playfully with Emppu mid-song…watching as Marco croons powerfully into the microphone as he’s rocking out…watching Jukka pound the drums ever more passionately…and then being stunned at the gorgeousness of Floor Jansen’s voice soar to the rafters. I couldn’t believe how good Floor was, since she just started singing for Nightwish mid-tour!

So yeah, they played so many of my favorite songs(including: The Islander! Planet Hell! Ever Dream! Ghost Love Score!) and the crowd was just electric. The band even seemed a bit taken aback by how loud we were! Seeing the emotions surge in Tuomas’ face as he played…I think one of the things that struck me the most about the show is just realizing – in truth – that all the band members…Tuomas and Emppu and Jukka and Marco and Floor…are real people just like us. And just like all of us, they rage and cry and love and dream…and I couldn’t help but pray for every one of them. And like I know I’ve written before, I realized again the sheer power of music. It has such a hold over us at times, such a firm grasp and we don’t even know it. And so once again, while I do so love the gift of music that God my Father has blessed us with…I also must acknowledge its dangers and not give it my heart…as is so easy to do! So here at the end of all things, I think of the beautiful evening I had last night and I thank my Lord for blessing me so! I got to hang out with Jackie and experience beautiful music. A good night! The only thing that would have made it better was if Laura could have been there too…I called her afterwards to give her the full run-down and felt sad that she couldn’t be with me. Laura, miss you!!

And now, it truly is dinner time. And then time to crack open a book. Read a little, wonder a little, love a little. And ever dream.

Orange and Red and Yellow…

James HoganLeave a comment

And on this perfectly lovely fall afternoon, I’m relaxing in my room, looking out the window as the light slowly fades. It’s a little cold right now, but I have some delicious smelling French onion soup on the stove and I must confess I’m rather looking forward to a bowl of that! Hopefully this latest cooking experiment is a success! Even though I probably shouldn’t eat too much of it, since in a couple hours me and John will be heading over to Zara and Ruth’s for dinner and I’m sure whatever we eat there(Zara’s cooking, methinks) will be absolutely delectable.

And now maybe I should stop talking about food! Anyways, earlier when I was walking to the store, kicking up the leaves and enjoying the delightfully brisk autumn breeze, I couldn’t help but rejoice in my heart and pray to my Father, thanking Him for all that He has blessed me with! Oh let us never forget our Father who has loved us so!! With warm clothes and cozy places to live and delicious food and hot showers and enthralling books and lazy Saturdays and amazing friends…well, how can we complain? Really.

Now, time to stir my soup. Love y’all.

Skyfall

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So guess what came down out of the sky last night? Yep, snow came slowly twirling down yesterday and it was beautiful. While I couldn’t properly appreciate it while I was at work, as soon as I got home and then began making my way down the street to Ruth and Zara’s for dinner, I could just enjoy being in my winter coat and scarf and gloves once again as the snowflakes gently descended upon me…beautiful winter has arrived! And while I’m not a big fan of the short dark days of winter, the beauty of the snow dancing through the sky is something I can’t deny!

And now after a lovely morning, it is about time for my feet to wander outside of the warm and comfortable confines of Starbucks to the cold streets above. Have a lovely afternoon, my friends!!

A dance of wolves and a song of snow,
What calls the blue-jay, what says the crow?
Hush and listen! Heed now our cry!
Behold the witness of the sky.

A wreath of berries, a lance of light,
Who sings sweetly, who sings bright?
Turn and listen! Hear notes unseen!
Gaze soft upon this evergreen.

A trance of dusk and a song of love,
Who blushes to see stars laced above?
Come and listen! Sing lilting praise!

Rejoice ye heavens, rejoice ye earth!
Rejoice upon this uncommon birth!
Rejoice ye seas, rejoice ye sky!
Rejoice ye peoples far and nigh!

Jesus Christ,
Word of God
and God indeed!

For from Him are all things!
For through Him are all things!
For to Him are all things!
To Him be the glory forever!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Hallelujah and Amen!

A weeping heart, newborn eyes of love.
What says the sparrow? How sings the dove?
Bow and listen! Dance blissfully!
Jesus, my heart longs after Thee.

Stormswept

James HoganLeave a comment

I quite want to write and write and write but am currently exhausted and more than a bit foggy, even with the peppermint mocha currently coursing through my veins and although I’d like to chronicle just a bit of my recent Houston adventure and share with y’all the love and grace I’ve experienced this past week, I think my body may just not cooperate as it just arrived from the airport a few hours ago and now it calls out for sweet sleep and so now instead of staying longer at Starbucks I think I’ll walk home and collapse into my bed for the first time in over a week and it will be simply glorious and I think now is the time to end this surprisingly weird sentence and log off and shut down and enjoy my walk home on the grey streets of Aberdeen this wind swept day and so as I drift off to sleep I can only do one thing – bless the name of the Lord. Peace, y’all.