Tag: life

September 6th, 2010

James HoganLeave a comment

Well, I was going to say it was a gorgeous day here…but then a hurricane sort of decided to visit my neighborhood. Ok so it’s not a hurricane, but the rain and wind are going crazy outside!! And I swear there was sunshine and blue skies not ten minutes ago. Oh Houston, how I will miss you…

And you may wonder what I’m doing writing a journal entry on a Monday morning? Well, it so happens to be Labour Day here!! And thus, I got to sleep in a bit(’til 9, woo!) and then make a nice pot of coffee and read to my heart’s content. And then I decided it was a perfect time for a wee update, no? And especially because I won’t get to do that many more updates in the States. Because LESS THAN A WEEK FROM NOW I will be in Scotland. Yeah. This Saturday, flying on a jet plane! First to Amsterdam(9 hour flight. Yay?), and then a short hop to Aberdeen. And the adventure will begin.

Hey, and now the rain’s gone! Fickle Houston weather.

Ahh, I still can’t believe I’m about to leave Houston, for what could be a long time! Of course, I could be right back here next year, but that is still undecided. *gets up to refill coffee mug* …and that’s better! Shout-out to Deanna for this delightful Hungarian mug! I do like sweet coffee mugs, and this one definitely qualifies!

Well now, what else can I update y’all on? I’m still trying to dance around the fact that I’m leaving soon…so I don’t have to think of leaving everyone behind. On Saturday, I passed the keys of my car on to Adam. Farewell, Aeryn! You served me well! Sort of. And yesterday, I spent much time packing, trying to figure out what I need to take to Scotland. I have to say, it is sort of annoying having to pack for Scotland because cold-weather clothes take up MUCH more room than warm-weather clothes. But I have no doubt I would sorely regret not packing all my sweaters…so I’m just not going to have much room for any books. Ah well. Only two suitcases for six months! Sound good?

And oh gosh, the rain is coming down hard again. Hurray? Oh wait, I lied. Now it is sunny again. Houston, stop being weather-schizo!

Oh also yesterday, had a lovely time at church…my last time there. For a while, at least. Saying goodbye to so many people…worshiping mightily in the LORD…loving my brothers and sisters…and being loved…I don’t think I can really describe my feelings except to say something I’ve said far too much…I am overwhelmed by the goodness of the LORD.


Dancing in the new born sun,
turning my head to the height
of the sky bannered in joy
striated in crimson delight.

Looking to the stars on high
turning my head to the ground
losing my hopes and my dreams
to the ecstasy of being found.

Kneeling in the rain-soaked field,
lifting my tear streaked face
to the one who loved me
to the one who loves me

And now I am

Rejoicing in the infinite
turning my head to glory
Dancing
Singing
Loving
Being loved.

Standing upon the ramparts
turning my head to the one
who makes me tremble anew
in purest
adoration.

And that’s enough emotional profusion for the day. I love y’all.

August 29th, 2010

James HoganLeave a comment

This weekend has been a weekend of total awesomeness!! But alas, it is about at an end…

And since for some reason I’m not in a writing mood(curse you, my muse!! Actually, I think it’s probably just because I’m really hungry and ready for dinner, hmmm…), I don’t think this post will be that long, but I had to at least write something! This past weekend, went to my church’s weekend camp(Redeemer Family Camp 2010 represent!!) and had such a delightfully awesome time! From singing and worshiping with my church family to playing late night Settlers of Cataan and Risk games ’til 3 in the morning…from meditating and pondering on the reality of the death of sin and the fullness of peace we have with Christ(Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. YES.) to talking for hours with amazing friends to playing basketball tournament games in the baking Texas heat to soaking in the love of the Lord poured out through His people to relaxing in the goodness of my Father! And indeed, God is good!! And I must proclaim his grace and mercy and power and love – all praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords, forever and ever!

And today was full of more beauty…thinking and relishing the loveliness of the Lord as we heard His command to abide in Him, as we do! Eternally! And after church, the good times didn’t end, but a bunch of us went to Jason’s Deli for lunch…and after that, the good times STILL didn’t end, but me, Marci, Adam, Alex, Clay and the Jacobs all went to the “Ice Barn” for the most delicious sno-cones of all time(black cherry deliciousness – staining to the lips and blessing to the stomach!)…and after that, well, we couldn’t part ways quite yet, so me and Marci and Alex went to the Jacobs to hang out with their fam for a bit. Played some poker and then played the most ridiculous game of Monopoly ever(Mega-Monopoly, 10 people, wheeling and dealing galore…hilarity abounded!). And finally, I am home. And now while I am alone in my apartment, I am not alone in spirit. God has blessed me exceedingly with good things and with amazing friends. How can I not love Him, when He has loved me so???

And now I’m less than two weeks from Scotland, about to leave Htown and go on a grand adventure! But oh I will miss people here!

Alright y’all, now it’s time for dinner. Turkey-burgers, baked potato, green beans, milk. Yes? Yes.

Peace!

August 14th, 2010

James HoganLeave a comment

Today has been a day of total relaxation.

Awesomeness.

In other news, I haven’t had Internet working for the past week, so finally this morning had time to call AT&T to get them to fix it! And fix it they did, hurrah! As soon as I got online again, I realized how much of nothing I had to do online. I got too used to not having internet. Not a bad thing, neh? Still, you all get an update out of me, so it’s all good. And by update, I mean “a very short non-informative entry”. Because my words are all floating around in my head and are being stubborn and are quite unwilling to come out and grace everyone with their presence. Alas, that means I’m stuck with my thoughts and you all will have to go without my ramblings. You don’t want to hear my randomness, you say? Hush.

And in other-other news, I have updated my journal style! Yes, I have had the same journal-style for SO LONG that Livejournal’s software updates played havoc with the old theme that Chris made so long ago(Thanks anyway, Chris!! Six years is a good long life!) and so my journal looked quite…antiquated. I took the liberty to add a random theme and beautify it, a touch. Thoughts?

And before I go and make my dinner(Turkey burgers! But these aren’t just any turkey burgers…filled with green onions and monterey jack cheese and deliciousness…courtesy of Rebecca Lebo!), I will just state that in less than a month, I will be residing in Aberdeen, Scotland. Dude.

James HoganLeave a comment

So just got back from a sweet weekend in Tampa!!! Admittedly, it was bracketed by crazy car adventures(car breaking down in rain + impending flight + me hitchhiking to airport + car being impounded = just a little stress and anxiety. I do NOT like allowing myself to be overwhelmed by worry or uncertainty, but this weekend cut it a little close. But now I have regained my car and I *believe* it’s fixed, bar a slightly alarming rattle in my compressor flywheel. And I have been affirmed in my conviction that I have two of the most awesome friends in the world…Alex driving to check for my car on the beltway at 3 in the morning…and Will helping me rescue and fix my car today. I gotta say, I feel so blessed to know that I have friends who have my back! God is good, INDEED. And thus ends the longest parenthetical thought of all time.), and now I have totally lost my train of thought. *scans back to top of parentheses* Ah yes. The weekend of Tampa and family awesomeness!! Full of the *whole* family together again and taking naps on the couch and late night talks with the sisters and lasagna of amazing awesomeness and Spades tournament with the fam and just loving my family!!! And of course, I did see some other people(including Dream and David, enjoying delicious ice cream and more delicious conversation! And I got to have lunch at Steve and Vickie’s, enjoying hamburgers and beans and encouraging words. And I got my Christmas(ok, a little late) present from them – this awesome handmade blown-glass alligator head. It is AMAZING. If you are in Houston, come over and you can see it. And Gary and Janet came over on Sunday night and again, I am constantly reassured of the amazing blessings of the LORD in the people he surrounds me with. Ah it is too much for someone as silly as I!!) And seriously, these parentheses have got to stop! I am henceforth banning myself from using them for…the rest of this entry.

I have now decided it’s time for dinner. And I’m binging on Snow Patrol on the moment, and I’m not quite sure if that’s a good thing or not. It’s chill enough to be relaxing, but romance-tinged enough to be slightly dangerous to the emotions. Like I’ve said before, music can be a most wonderful and perilous creation!

And now I take my leave. Before I do though, let me share what has been most encouraging these past few days:

Therefore humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you at the proper time,
casting all our anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7

He cares for you. How awesome is that?

Peace be to you all!

James HoganLeave a comment

I just had one of the most glorious camping weekends ever and now I am about to pass out from an overdose of sun and hiking and awesomeness and I desperately need a hot shower and a delicious dinner and a nap but I fear if I lie down I will not wake up until the morning and I still need to clean out my pack and so I suppose I will glory in some hot water and then put on a movie to keep me awake while I unpack and make dinner and oh I am so tired but it is the kind of tired where your bones are so stiff and your head is in a daze of weariness but it is all worth it and this is the worst run-on sentence of all time. I should probably not post this and reveal my exhaustion, but why not? Alex and Will and I gloried in the beauty of the LORD at Enchanted Rock and though we’re now back in Houston, those memories are with me still. Seeing the stars blaze bright against the black velvet of the night sky while lying atop the peak…well, I can’t describe it. Sorry, you’ll just have to experience it yourself! God is good, y’all!!

James HoganLeave a comment

Just because three entries in one day is never a bad thing! Just burning my most recent CD of some of my current fav songs – thought I’d share!! Oh and by the way, I still need a name for the mix. Ideas? I have none.

1. Epicus Furor – Rhapsody
2. Emerald Sword – Rhapsody
3. End of All Hope – Nightwish
4. More Time – Needtobreathe
5. Firefly Theme – Sonny Rhodes
6. Super Honeymoon – Owl City
7. The Chain – Ingrid Michaelson
8. The Scientist – Coldplay
9. Sunburn – Muse
10. Bat Out of Hell – Meatloaf
11. Forward Motion – Relient K
12. Shoulder to the Wheel – Lost Prophets
13. Live your Life – T.I.
14. Factory Girls – Flogging Molly
15. Closing Time – Greenday
16. The Sheep and the Goats – Keith Green
17. Open Your Eyes – Snow Patrol
18. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Jars of Clay

And there you go! I wanted a Taylor Swift song(Love Story), but it wouldn’t fit. So she didn’t make the cut. Ah well. Beside that, not a bad mix, if I do say so myself. And now, it is dinner time! The chicken is done, now just to throw in some romaine, parmesan and croutons. Awesomeness.

James HoganLeave a comment

It’s a beautifully rainy evening here in Houston! The rain has stopped and the thunder has dimmed and now all I can hear is the soothing sound of rain dripping off the trees and it’s absolutely the perfect end to a beautiful day!! And of course, since it’s a Sunday, thought it was a good time for a small update as well! And yes, this entry really will be small. I think. Hold me to it!!

Today was a lovely time at church, talking and worshiping and laughing and loving with everyone at our dear church – I’ve only been here a short while but already I feel like I’ve known everyone a lifetime!! It will be indeed bittersweet when I move off to Scotland(BUT I’m not moving as soon as I had thought. I just found out that I’ll be staying in Houston until September and then going to be in Aberdeen from September to March! Pretty much the worst time of year to be in Scotland. Ah well. It’ll still be epic.)…and the rest of this afternoon was spent relaxing back at my apartment catching up with Florida friends and enjoying the music of the storm. I took a brief nap and then my stomach started reminding me it was dinner time, so here I am. I think tonight would be a good night for a proper chicken caesar salad…mmmm…my mouth is already watering in anticipation. But don’t worry, I’ll finish this entry. Soon.

Yesterday was spent mostly taking my car to the shop – the AC hasn’t been working in a few months. This wasn’t that bad back when it was winter and spring. Now that it’s summer…well, let’s just say driving isn’t that fun. Even with the windows down. I *think* it’s fixed now, but we’ll have to see how it holds up. I drove straight from the car shop(with working AC!) to HEB to pick up picnic supplies, because last night was Claire’s birthday picnic!! Her birthday’s not ’til next week, but we celebrated last night anyway. We went to the park and had such sweet times relaxing over food and drink(I had a yummy sub and also had carrots and chips and deliciously spicy hummus, mmmm…). After dinner at the picnic table, we took a walk around the park – it was such a gorgeous park, too! I wish there was a park of that caliber closer to where I live. Ah well. We walked and talked and eventually ended up at the swing-set, where our dangerous looks and obvious maturity scared away the high school punks that were there. Yeah, what can I say? After fun times swinging and chilling, we went back to Melissa’s house(she just got it, so it didn’t really have a lot of furniture yet and is sort of in the redecorating process…but it was beautiful!) for dessert! There was chocolate mousse and lemon torte and carrot-pineapple cupcakes and I had FAR too much sugar. But it was amazing. And so we(we being Melissa, Claire, me, Adam, Marci, Will, Sara, her sisters…) talked the night away on such random topics as the Redskins being better than the Cowboys(well, Sara disagrees) and Dr. Who(which I suppose I need to watch at some point). Eventually we got kicked out, because church was indeed the next morning. And then I drove the long drive home…some forty-five minutes later I got home. Then read for a while. Then fell asleep.

And as for Friday, while I feel I’m already running far over my planned stopping point, I must mention a bit more! Friday night was a sweet time chilling with the guys(well, me, Alex, Joseph and Will). We hit up Chipotle’s(minus Will, who spent all day deep-sea fishing!) and then afterwards went to Alex’s place and watched District 9. Very intriguing movie. Sort of depressing, but it ended on a better note than I was expecting. And that’s all I shall say about that. Earlier on Friday I was at work…at Bingle for the last time!! Because tomorrow I’m starting at a new facility(BOP Aftermarket, to train for Aberdeen), so on Friday I had to say all my farewells! It was sad indeed…I’ve only been at Bingle for a year(well, and my three-month internship in ’08) but I’ve worked with these people 9 hours a day, five days a week! In those conditions, you get to know a person pretty well, let me tell you. And the Quality team(my department, yeah!) were so amazing to me, giving me farewell breakfast donuts and farewell Pizza Hut lunch(can you tell we like to eat at Bingle??) and pretty much making me feel like I’m the best guy ever. Clearly they don’t know me well enough…but seriously, I feel so thankful to God for giving me this year of working with and loving these people!! Ah, the Lord is good indeed!! I’m gonna miss my coworkers. Is that something everyone can say? I think not. But I will miss them indeed.

And now this entry has gone on far too long. And I have a bit more to say, but that is for another entry. And I’m hungry. Hmm. To eat or to write? That is the question.

James HoganLeave a comment

Ok, I really really really should go to bed right now. I got minimal sleep last night and am exhausted now, even after a couple cans of mountain dew! But no, I must recap this weekend while it’s fresh and unspoiled by a hard week’s work. So before my eyes start shutting of their own accord and my head slams down into the keyboard, here goes!

Friday was a sweet time at the Jacob’s house for care group!! As always, good times studying(we’re now in Revelation 13) and such lovely times fellowshipping. And a little round-the-world ping-pong for good measure. Y’know. Saturday started out lovely with me catching up on sleep and then having some bacon and coffee, relaxing in the goodness of the LORD! Later that afternoon, got some errands done and then me and Alex went on a baseball adventure to Minute Maid Park! And why did we want to see the Astros play? Well, really the Astros don’t excite me that much, but the Rays were in town!! So me and Alex went downtown to the field, got some sweet tickets(first level, behind homeplate!) and enjoyed watching the Rays dominate it up! They actually weren’t that dominant, but we did win! 4-2. I do so love going to baseball games…watching baseball on TV isn’t half as fun as going to the game and hanging out with your friends. And seriously, that was the best part – chilling with Alex and having good discussions!!

Sunday was(as always!) awesome. Following church, relaxed at my place a little bit before heading to the Denney’s place for the SERIES FINALE of LOST! Whoa. I remember my first ever episode I saw, over at Andrew Stanfill’s place, season 2 finale. I had no idea who anyone was or why this underground bunker-thing was about to explode. But I was intrigued. I didn’t really start watching until the second half of season 3(Chris, thanks for lending me seasons 1 and 2, dude. All because of you.) and from then on, I watched it fairly consistently. And now, it’s over. And it was awesome getting to see it on the Denney’s sweet widescreen HDTV with surround sound. Now that’s how you watch a series finale! We snacked on good food and madly theorized on every conceivable LOST point while they played the two hour “catch-up” show. Eventually, Alex showed up, just in time to start the fun! I’m not going to summarize the finale(if you’re a fan, you’ve already seen it, if not, you’ll just be…no, I am NOT going to make the obvious pun! *runs away with hand over mouth*)

ANYWAYS. Just a brief note on the way it all ended though…as I was watching the final five minutes, I was initially a little disappointed, seeing the competing religious symbolism and all the nods to basically every faith in existence. False gods and idols do not please me. At all. And the explanation of all the characters ending up in a church, letting go of their holds on the material world to enter some pantheistic universalistic heaven…well, that annoyed me too. So sadly, I was a bit depressed watching the final scenes. But seeing Jack Shepard stumble through the bamboo forest to finally lie down and die, looking up at the sky as the series closed as his eye closed for the final time…well, that was pretty epic. I must admit, the music that played during that bit has been stuck in my head this whole past day! And now that I’m able to look back at the finale, I appreciate it. This show truly is an adventure of mystery and science and technology and mysticism, yes…but in the end, it’s all about the characters(Desmond, Penny, Sawyer, Juliet, Hurley…Locke, Ben, Jack…I could go on and on!) and their love and tears and living and dying and laughter and pain and trials and tribulations and yearning for something just that tiny bit out of reach…and that’s why LOST was so special. And this finale focused on the characters we loved so much instead of trying to answer every random mystery in some forced fashion. And once I realized the fact that this show was NOT going to accurately proclaim the truth of the gospel and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ(really, why would I expect that??), I accepted the ending as epic. Truly. Once again, I see beauty in the picture of mankind striving ever higher, ever closer to the image of the One in whom we were created. I see beauty in the story of people longing for that something more. And I weep over people worshiping at the altar of the Unknown God. Oh I weep. Oh, but for the beauty of the Truth, that which truly satisfies us, the Word. God. The Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth!!!

And so LOST gets so close. And yet so far. Still, the glory of the Lord shines through the cracks of the facade we put up to hide ourselves from the true Light!! Just a TV show? Yes. A heretical TV show? Yes. Epic entertainment? Yes. A reminder of the need for our Saviour? A thousand times, nay a million times, YES. It’s been a good run, LOST. *tips hat*

And that is far more than I meant to write!! I almost descended into another topic entirely. But I couldn’t resist. I hope some of that made sense(as always, a cookie to the one who read all of my musing!)

And as for tonight(oh yes, I’m not done yet!), I had a lovely time at Alex’s place(wow, I’ve been seeing him a lot lately. Sweet) watching the series finale of 24. I have a confession to make. I’d never seen a single episode before this one. So I was a bit confused. But all I have to take away from it is that Jack Bauer is a beast. The end.

And now, shower and then bed calls my name! To all, a good night!!

James HoganLeave a comment

It is the most beautiful evening out right now!! Dusk is upon us and night is coming, but as the last light fades from the sky, a thunderstorm approaches. The air tingles with cool scent of rain as the clouds pass swiftly overhead. The thunder rolls ominously as the sky flashes with lightning. An eerie green tinges the sky and the trees tremble in the passing of the wind heralding the coming of the storm. Looking up to the kaleidoscope of color in the sky and feeling the first drops of rain on my face, I exult in the Creator of heaven and earth! Ah Lord God, thou hast created the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm!! The beauty of the storm is almost overwhelming as I open my eyes to behold the glorious sky and see the light crash from one end of the sky to the other in a panorama of power! Oh what beauty! Oh what power! Oh what glory! Open your eyes!

James HoganLeave a comment

It’s been a simply lovely Sunday here in Houston!!! And before anyone chides me, yes, it’s far too late for me to be up and writing. And I probably also shouldn’t be drinking coffee right now. But that’s all beside the point. It’s been far too long since I’ve written a proper update, and so I have decreed this as the entry to chronicle everything I’ve done in the past few months!! Ok, maybe not everything, but seeing as I’ve visited three different states in the last couple months and had some epic adventures, well it would be a crime for me to deprive you all of the tales of my adventures.

And thus ends my long-winded introduction. Here we go!!

Actually, I think I’ll just go backwards, starting with this weekend, which was sufficiently awesome to be recorded for posterity. Today was church, beautifully lovely as always. We’re almost done with Hosea(we did chapter 13 today – read it. Grim words. But despite the terrifying words of judgement contained therein, there is yet the hint of hope(O Death, where are your thorns? Oh Sheol where is your sting?). Death is swallowed up in victory indeed. The victory of our Lord Jesus Christ!!! And apart from the sermon, it was awesome hanging out with people and relaxing in the joys of fellowship! Following, I came home and promptly took a nice long nap…I was pretty exhausted, due to the night before(which I’ll be getting to in short order). I awoke feeling wonderfully refreshed, made a quick dinner and now am listening to the hauntingly beautiful music of Coldplay. Great bedtime music.

And now to yesterday! Yesterday was the men’s breakfast at church. As always, a hearty(and delicious!) breakfast followed up by oh-so-sweet talking and sharing of the goodness of the Lord!! We talked through John 4, which pleased me much, seeing as that’s pretty much one of the best Chapters ever. Again, read it. After that, I relaxed at home for a little while…and then went and saw Julie for lunch at Boston Market! It’s quite tragic – we only see each other every month or so, so it’s always great times catching up when we get the chance. She’s in Indonesia right now and is going to Calgary for a three year rotation, starting in a few months. Epic. Of course, I sort of prefer Scotland myself…

Yesterday evening, went to a benefit dinner for HaMoreh Ministries…a sweet ministry that teaches and provides for the education of pastors in Eastern Africa. Erin sponsored a table for a bunch of us(Travis, the Jacobs, Will, Alex, Joseph..) and it was good times indeed! I must confess, while I enjoyed hearing the African praise songs, my favorite part was singing “How Great Thou Art” at the end!!! Afterwards, me and Alex and Will hung out in the parking lot and talked for…a while. We were definitely the last to leave…I say, some of my best times of fellowship tend to be in parking lots…oh how thankful am I for such good brothers!!!

And Friday night was another sweet night!! We made plans to go see Iron Man 2 that night, and so after work, I drove to Josh(from work)’s house, where I had dinner with him and his family. We then went and picked up another of his friends and then drove to the theatre, where we met up with Clint and Rob. It was raining torrentially, so driving was very much not fun. The movie was pretty good(I thought it was better than the first one, but my memory of the first is admittedly poor), but the best part of the night was just being able to hang out with the guys!!

And alas, I had planned for this entry to be far longer, but I have decided that it is probably better if I start getting ready for bed now. I’m not on college time anymore, more’s the pity! So, my update of my adventures in the past few months will have to wait for a better time. Until then, friends. G’night!!