Tag: life

Hawkeyes

James HoganLeave a comment

Currently in Starbucks, even though it’s a bit late in the afternoon. My feet are itching to leave and enjoy the sunlight!

But I did want to write a few words – you’re not complaining, right? I got a couple new CDs that I ordered today, listening to one of them now – such gorgeous and heart-enlivening music!! I’m so excited that I can’t help but share them with you. Once you see the track list, you’ll understand why I love them so. Listening right now to And Can it Be sung by thousands of voices…oh for that glorious day where we all shall sing together to our Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever and ever and ever. And ever. Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me????


1. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
2. Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him
3. A Debtor to Mercy Alone
4. Hallelujah, What a Saviour
5. Mercies Anew
6. Before the Throne of God Above
7. Come Thou Almighty King
8. Immortal, Invisible
9. Like a River Glorious
10. The Look
11. I will Glory in My Redeemer
12. Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

And if that isn’t enough…the live album from Together for the Gospel 2008.


1. A Mighty Fortress is our God
2. It is Well with my Soul
3. How Firm a Foundation
4. Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
5. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
6. How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
7. How Sweet and Aweful is the Place
8. My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
9. I will Glory in my Redeemer
10. Arise, my soul, Arise
11. The Power of the Cross
12. My Song is Love Unknown
13. And Can It Be
14. There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
15. Before the Throne of God Above
16. In Christ Alone

So yeah. Couldn’t help but share.

And listening to these songs now, how my heart is encouraged and my soul is lifted up! I have had a long and weary week, full of trials. My heart has been burdened and my soul downcast. Yet now as I praise my God in song and thought…there is such a peace in my heart. A peace that surpasses all comprehension. Oh how blessed are we. I seriously am so overwhelmed by the goodness of my Lord in granting me such peace and encouragement this afternoon. If I could weep…

So last night as I came home from work tired and discouraged, I decided to go for a run in the crisp autumn air as the sun gloriously set. That was definitely much enjoyed! Afterwards had a sweet talk with Dad and then showered before my dinner of frozen pizza and spinach salad(ok, maybe not the most elaborate dinner, but it sure tasted good!!).

Now this morning was sadly filled up with being at work and trying to keep the reins steady on my wildly careening project. Thankfully was only there about four hours and now I’m here at Starbucks(could not give up my Saturday Starbucks!). Been here for a couple hours now and really should be leaving soon…but no, a few more words. These songs(now listening to Before the Throne of God Above) are seriously amazingly powerful. I’m…a bit emotional listening to them. Just finishing reading a letter from Mom, too – received very timely today! Oh what a joy to read the six pages from her. Oh joy, oh bliss. Love you, Mom!! 🙂

Now my peppermint mocha is a bit cold, so it must be about time to go. And my CD is on the last song(In Christ Alone). It must be a sign.

Farewell, all. Grace and love and peace. Hope in the Lord. Sing and dance and wonder at what amazing love we are blessed with so. Peace.

A cloud floats free from filmy sea to frozen sky,
Rainbow croons of crimson peace and truest glory,
An apple tree blossoms white in silent beauty,
And upon the land a song of love is lifted.

Blood so perfect, blood so true,
How oh how could Christ love us so?
Story written, love anew –
Glories and wonders and beauty!
Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords
King Almighty and He Who Will Reign Forever,
Song of my heart and Poem of my soul,
Jesus my God.

Unveiled

James HoganLeave a comment

It is a dark and weary night.

Ah and how do I need this night of rest! It has been a long and most tiresome week…but now my Father has granted me a night where I can be alone and rest in Him. At peace. Joyful. Confident that no matter what hurricane assail, I need have no doubt or fear. I am watched. I am held. I am loved. Never shall I fret when I am lavished with such grace as sits upon my shoulders! Never shall I weep when I am blessed with such an encompassing love eternal! Never! Cruel and raging world – you hold no chains to me. I serve a higher Master. I serve a greater Lord. Oh love-torn songs and notes of wonder! Falling veils and dancing thunder! I do not cry for loss, no – I weep for love. Jesus my God – hold me still. Bliss and poetry and writ of heaven. I bow my head.

What more can I say?

And as the aroma of meatloaf wafts through the room, I think dinnertime calls my name. Tonight is a good night. Peace, my friends.

Autumn Leaves

James HoganLeave a comment

Well, I thought today I’d post a rather epic entry involving the recent adventures of the parents over here on my island(yes, they were here in Scotland and it was glorious and magnificent!! And I really don’t think I can adequately describe it with my words, but my times here with my parents this past week are times that I will remember always…).

But I’ve seemed to have used up a significant time here in Starbucks already(mostly putting pictures on facebook, hmm…) and it is a most beautifully sunny day outside and I cannot spend anymore time here in Starbuck’s depths!

So I go now and leave you with the sweet sound of silence. Enjoy your day, y’all…and rejoice in the peace that comes with knowing our Lord and our God – our salvation and our song. The glories of the universe and melodies of the stars above pale in comparison to the Majesty on high.

And now I really bid thee farewell. Peace!

This Mountain

James HoganLeave a comment

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him
shall never thirst;
but the water that I give him will become in him
a well of water springing up to eternal life.
-Jesus Christ

John 4 is one of my favorite passages ever…just saying. You all should read it now – may it enliven your soul as much as it has done mine this morn.

Wild Boar

James HoganLeave a comment

You know what it’s like to see a crystal-clear raging torrent of a river at your feet and diving in only to discover it’s a lot colder than it appeared in the warm springtime air…or to leap off a cliff and be taken aback by the length of the fall…or to look up at the stars and reach for the diamonds glittering in the velvet black of the night and though your hands graze but air, you are stunned by the way your heart song dips and falters so…

It’s been an interesting few days, and that is all I will say! But God, my God, my Father and Lord…blesses me so. Today although I was overwhelmed by work and heaps of paper, my boss decided to send me on an errand across town…so I was able to drive Deeside in the gorgeous summer morning…listening to my Lord of the Rings symphony, looking out upon hobbit-like landscapes…and revel in the beauty that my Father has granted me. Oh how I needed that! And now back in the office at lunchtime, but wanted to put a few words down while my heart burns hot…our God is good, y’all.

And now, off with Justin to enjoy lunch this gorgeous day that our Lord has made!

Dawn

James HoganLeave a comment

I drove in to work and witnessed the cloud dappled eastern sky and the sun admist it, shining e’er brighter. And as the green of the fields warmed to a more perfect hue, I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty.

And now I sit and enjoy my french vanilla infused coffee…and I sigh. Perfect peace, what a treasure this is.

Hello there!

James HoganLeave a comment

For some strange reason, I’ve got a weird desire to watch Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith right now…so imagine the subject line as said by Obi-wan to Grievous.

And wow, what an odd opener to this entry! Maybe I haven’t gotten enough sleep yet? See my update last night for more details on that…

Anyways though, I’m sitting in Starbucks now, enjoying my deliciously crafted peppermint mocha as I sit in peace, some chill big band music playing in the background. Saw Steph when I came in this morning – she and the family finally got back from Portugal last week – someday I must visit there! Anyway, finally everyone is coming back from their holidays – John is back from the States, but I haven’t seen him yet – he’s been recovering from jet lag with his parents in Montrose. Hopefully he comes back to the flat tonight or tomorrow!

Last night was…interesting. I was hoping to see a movie or something with people, but thankfully pretty much everyone was already busy, because then I ended up having to work late. Not fun, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Cameron, you owe me one.

And this feels like a really random entry – caffeine fueled madness, perhaps? I really only am writing this because I wanted to at least write a few words about last weekend! Like I mentioned earlier, yes – I was in London. Olympics, y’all!!

I think it was a couple weeks ago at evening church when me and Joel were talking about how sweet it would be just to go down to London for the Olympics. We said it half-jokingly. Then looked at each other…”Wait, why *don’t* we?” So we bought airplane tickets without even having any Olympic tickets, figuring we’d find some! Joel eventually found some marathon(10k) swimming tickets before we headed off to London…

So last Thursday night, we made our way down to London. After dashing through Heathrow, picking up our bags, taking the tube, then getting detoured onto a bus(with a small side-trip into a pub to watch Usain Bolt’s 200m domination!)…we finally, finally got to Joel’s friend’s house. A couple frozen pizzas later, we collapsed into bed. Friday morning dawned bright(Seriously, it was amazing weather my whole time in London…sunny and warm. I have never seen it rain in London. Due to this, I have concluded it never does) and we made our way to Hyde Park for marathon swimming!

We had sweet seats in the grandstand, so after picking up some souvenirs(shirt for me, hat for Joel), we settled down to watch the action on the Serpentine. Our seats were definitely prime – we had the Aussie Olympic swim team in the rows right in front of us. Anyways, as the sun beat down on us, we enjoyed our packed sandwiches as we watched some beast athletes swim 10k. A guy from Tunisia won, sadly no one from USA or GB got on the medal stand. One of the swimmers was about 15 minutes behind everyone else, but Joel and I couldn’t really poke fun at him, seeing as neither of us probably could have swum even one kilometer.

And wow, I better quicken up the pace here…or this is going to be one mammoth entry!! So after the swimming, we wandered over to a large public area in Hyde Park where they’d placed giant TV screens showing all the Olympics action. There were thousands – no, TENS of thousands – of people there, just soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the sweet sport of the Games! We watched Team GB win the bronze medal in woman’s hockey and finally decided to make our way to a more secluded area of the park…where we just lay back on the grass, watching the clouds float through the gorgeous blue sky as the oak trees stood sentinel over us. Oh what a lovely time did our Father give us!! I think relaxing with Joel in that quiet corner of Hyde Park was probably one of my favorite times of the whole weekend…

Anyways, to try and speed this along – we eventually met up with a friend of Joel’s for some curry, enjoying eating outside in the oh so lovely weather!

Now – next day, Saturday! Woke up, had toast and coffee…and since I’d brought my laptop, me and Joel checked for available tickets online, since we had none for the day. Every time we checked, there was nothing, so our hopes were low and our expectations nil. Finally, about ready to leave the house and head to the tube station, but we decided “One more time.” Checked online…and wait. Volleyball tickets? I told Joel, “DO IT.” And he bought us a pair! We had no idea who was playing, but it didn’t matter, we had tickets!

As we sat in the tube, merrily speeding to Earl’s Court to pick up our tickets, we perused one of the London dailies and found the match we’d bought tickets for – women’s hardcourt vball finals. Gold medal match! USA v. Brasil, winner take all!! PSYCHED.

And so with that happy news, we set out to enjoy the rest of the day. Went back to Hyde Park to watch some Olympics action with the masses(truly, there were so many people…people from all around the world, all excited to watch the best athletes of the world) then relaxed a bit more in the Park. He called Laura(his gf) to chat while I talked to Maryanne for a while. Oh I miss my fam sometimes.

Anyway, eventually we decided it was time to head over to Earl’s Court to catch the vball game! We made it to our seats and settled in. There were far more Brasilian fans than Americans…and they were much louder too. I don’t want to say that was a contributing factor, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. Our girls took the first set in fine style, but after that…all Brasil. They played with passion and fire and our American ladies just could not stop them. Alas. Still, viva Brasil! A great match and just to be able to watch it in person with Joel…awesomeness. After the game, it was great watching the Brasilian women clown around, enjoying their victory. The American ladies stood there disconsolately…I felt bad for them.

Anyways, me and Joel finally made it back to the house, and then on Sunday, back to Aberdeen! For some reason I decided to come to church that night, even though I was feeling exhausted. Ah well, always good to worship with my friends!

And wow, I think it’s time for this entry to come to a close, but I just wanted to chronicle this Olympics adventure before the memory began to fade…truly, such a sweet gift our God gave me, to have this chance and to be able to enjoy it so! And truly, the best part was just being able to hang with Joel and adventure through London with him…and enjoy ever so much the friendship our God has given us.

And thinking again upon the Olympics – why do I enjoy them so? Well, I do so love seeing the power of men and women plunging through the waters…the fastest men in the world speeding down the homestretch…the utter grace as gymnasts soar high above the earth…citius, altius, fortius. It is a joy. But why? I think partly just because the beauty of the human form and ability is so apparent. The human form that was made in the image of God. Tarnished, yes. But that glory can still be partly seen…and so to see what God had made, I cannot help but rejoice in Him, our Saviour, our God! Oh but would all see it so!! One day. One day.

And now, time for me to exit Starbucks into the bright sunlit day above. Think I’m gonna pick up a birthday book for a friend and then figure out what I want for dinner. Meatloaf or beef stew, y’all? I can’t decide. Or maybe just hamburgers and potatoes? We’ll see. All I know – I desire a restful remainder of my day. And I think my Lord is granting that to me.

Have a sweet day and pardon the length of this over-wrought entry. I’m out!

Peace upon the cobblestones,
clouds play the music of the sky-
A wreath bestowed to victors,
Delirious with joy I sigh!

Tick tock

James HoganLeave a comment

And almost the clock does strike midnight!

And where am I right now? Hm, sadly the correct answer to that question is – still at work. Yes, it is Friday night. Yes, it’s been a long week. And a thousand times yes, it’s been a very long day!

But wait, if it’s midnight, why am I on livejournal writing an entry instead of driving home and collapsing on my bed? Well, I don’t have the answer to that extremely good question, unless if it’s that I’m in a weird mood, on my way to being sleep zombified. Yes, I should probably go home now.

Anyways! Had to stay late to get this pressure test done to satisfy a very important customer(oh Diamond Drilling, how I love thee), but that ended about an hour ago. But did I go home then? No, went down to reception to let the customer out to find that the night guard and cleaning girls were having a pizza party! And what’s better than late night pizza? So I eagerly jumped in on that. Sean came by a few minutes later, and then somehow we found an hour had passed while we five chatted about things ranging from the perils of marriage to the intricacies of the Glaswegian language. Oh Scotland.

Sean finally left to go home and then I finally decided I should stop being silly and come up here to dash off an email to the customer summarizing the night’s testing. So that’s done, and somehow I found myself opening up livejournal and now I’ve typed all this. Wow. I need sleep. Should I delete this and just go home? Well, the answer to the latter is a definite yes, but I think I’ll leave this here for posterity. All I can say is- despite my long day – God is good. Truly, my heart sings to the Lord!! Despite my weariness and the many worries and cares of life…I need fear not. Sing joyfully, y’all! At a few difficult points today, I just found my heart uplifted as these words came to mind –

Sing alleluia to our God!

Oh I love you all. Have a most lovely evening while I go home to my bed!

Hope deferred

James HoganLeave a comment

I turned on my computer preparing to write an Olympics re-cap entry(and by that, I mean – describe the past few days in which I was in London with Joel. Y’know, at the Olympics. Watching some epic marathon swimming and volleyball(women’s gold medal match, USA v. Brasil…in which USA lost. Tragic. Our ladies were good, just not good enough.) Epic weekend, none the less for sharing it with the aforementioned and ever awesome Joel), but for some reason I don’t really feel in a writing mood(despite the odd parenthetical thought above) – I feel in more of a contemplative state right now. So instead of trying to chronicle our Olympics adventures, I think I will just make my chicken and veg stir fry dinner and sit and read and pray…

A luxury of silence and
A plethora of tears,
A cacophony of raindrops
And litany of fears.

Age-cracked leather beckons to me,
Ancient words and a promise of
tea and
apples and
honeyed light
to bring me warmth
this hallowed night.