Tag: love

A Heart Full of Love

James HoganLeave a comment

And yes, my friends, I most certainly should not be writing this entry so late on a Sunday evening! But I cannot help but pen a few words. Whether they be worthwhile, I’ll leave you decide. But ever so briefly before I dive into a book and let myself slip into sleepiness…

Today was a beautiful Sunday, made all the more appreciated for the fact that I was working part of the day yesterday. Truly, a day of rest is needed and I cannot help but be thankful that today was indeed restful! Enjoyed a glorious morning at church before coming back to the flat with John and having lunch together. I cleaned my room a bit, but in the main I spent my afternoon on the sofa with my coffee and book! Lovely.

And then this evening, I skipped church for a very good reason…got to have an international skype call of awesomeness with Steven and Anna! The three of us hadn’t talked in…a long time. And yet we enjoyed a most amazing time of talking and laughing and reminiscing and praying and more laughing and..well, I can’t really say much more than that I have been greatly blessed with friends such as these. Hopefully we’ll get to actually reunite someday soon! Germany + Hungary + America forever!!

And once I tore myself away from skype, church was over, but I couldn’t let my Sunday evening go out with a whimper, so I made my way over to Andrew and Sarah’s to watch the BAFTAs(I could leave you ignorant, but for your education – British Academy of Film and Television Arts, basically the British version of the Oscars) with them – also joined by Ruth and Zara and Steph! I discovered several things – first of all, I have definitely not seen many movies this past year. Secondly, my aforementioned BAFTA-watching companions made for a most enjoyable and amusing viewing experience, especially as they were far more cinema-knowledgeable than I. Thirdly, movie stars appear to have very…interesting tastes in clothing. That is all.

I really want to see Lincoln now. I also want to see Les Mis again, but I should probably not see it a third time. Its music is now stuck in my head. Yet again.

Ah but a most lovely evening has been had. And now the clock ticks ever closer to midnight and I must bid you all adieu. I again just can’t say enough to express what gratitude overflows from my heart. Our God is good, my friends.

Grace and peace.

Naptime

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And yes, I really feel as if I could do with a nap just about now!! But it’s less than an hour until I leave for church, so maybe I should just try and stay awake…I thought writing a few words might help! Anyways, these past couple days have been packed full of awesome(although sleep may have been lacking!). Yesterday afternoon after Books and Beans, went over and met up with Chris and Jo for Hobbit goodness…and yes, it was glorious seeing it again, and especially with them! Afterwards we munched on burgers at Handmade Burger in the mall before Jo went off to meet people at Gilc for hot chocolate outreach. Me and Chris ended up going back to their place and chilling out for a while and talking and reading old stories he’d written and playing with Maple…and while I may not have gotten back to my place until late o’clock, I don’t regret a thing! Although – this morning, my body was a bit grumpy as I got up early to go over to Graham and Tineke’s for pre-church coffee(turned in to full breakfast! Bacon and eggs, mmm..) – it was so awesome seeing them again, since we haven’t talked since before Christmas. So again – oh so worth it. After that(still not church time yet!), me and Jackie had coffee at Pret, since she’s back in Aberdeen for the week – hurrah!! So we enjoyed talking and catching up…and then soon enough – church time! Worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ and basking in the love of our God and hearing the mighty Word of our Lord(2 Thess 1 today – I love that chapter!! And Dominic didn’t preach it half-bad either…)..I can’t describe properly how blessed I truly am. I really can’t.

And now I had planned on using this afternoon to clean the flat a bit and do some clothes-washing, etc…but of course, people had other plans! Went over to Zara and Ruth’s for a yummy lunch…and again, talking and laughing with them and Alec and Philippa and Morag and Charlotte and Amy…again – why do I have such good friends? I am deeply humbled and e’er blessed. Truly, y’all.

And yes – I finally took my leave and walked down to Sainsbury’s for a bit of shopping(running into Tineke doing hers as well!) and now I’m back in the flat and I’m sleepy and fading and slightly delirious from these sweet times I’ve been given… I really think I could lie down on the couch here and sleep deeply, but I think I may instead just continue to sip my Earl Grey and read a little bit of A Memory of Light…and continue to praise my Father for all these things he’s given me. Oh joy, oh love, oh bliss!!!

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!

Softly dreaming

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So should I be in bed right now? Well, yes. Actually, I am sort of in bed already now, since my bed is the couch and I am sitting on it! But while my eyelids are drooping and my thoughts are fading…I still feel I must write a few words. And so I will be uncharacteristically brief, but wanted to write one last post from Florida before I fly back to Scotland tomorrow.

This trip has been most glorious – although it’s flown past far too quickly for my liking! Nevertheless, I have been oh so blessed these past days…from my times of joy with my family and friends to a pretty sweet weekend past in Gainesville(where I spent time with some of the best friends known to mankind…maybe later I’ll write more on this, but just know that hanging out with Rob, Laurie, Dan and Betsy is pretty much the best thing ever. Just saying. Talking and talking and praying and being together…epic. I can’t really think of a better word right now. Maybe I’m just tired. Or maybe there just isn’t one. Nonetheless, I should probably close this parentheses) But yeah, Gainesville was awesome(also may have included some sweet disc golfing with Dan, Rob, Laura and George…as well as quality time back at the Lebos – one of my favorite families ever!!)

And then driving back home with Laura this afternoon, with the beautifully thunderous rain pounding down on the windshield and the windswept trees of central Florida shadowing our path…I just couldn’t help but thank our God for his goodness to me. Always.

And then being with my family tonight – eating dinner and talking and being encouraged by the best parents in the universe and then watching some classic 24(3 episodes was not enough!)…capped by reading a few Psalms together. Love it.

And since this post has been characteristically not brief…I’ll close.

Time for some sleep. And then one more day here in Florida. Here at home.

Love longs to leave one last encore-
Songs spill across the sun spun night,
Crystal chandelier, caressing sight.
And stars named
and blessed
with light.

Moonlight Rising

James HoganLeave a comment

So once again, no time for a long update..but relaxing with a nice mug of coffee this Sunday evening and getting ready for a sweet(and most likely hectic!) week. Had an absolutely lovely weekend – got some errands done yesterday while of course making my obligatory Starbucks visit(now frequenting a different location, so sadly not all the baristas know me yet, but Steph Smart works there, so it’s fun seeing her!) and enjoyed some quality time reading and sipping on my mocha, mmm…

Oh and before I go further, you all should also know I’ve moved flats – now a little closer to city centre, living with John Dixon(a guy from church – he’s awesome!!). It’s pretty sweet having a roommate again, been a couple years! Wow, ever since my times at Stoneridge…seems like it was yesterday and years ago, all at once. It’s not bad living on my own, but all in all, I think I prefer being with someone else! God is good, giving me such a sweet place to stay, with such an awesome guy!

And today was just as lovely as yesterday, relaxing yet more and worshiping the Lord at Gilc this morning! Pastor Dominic’s still going through 1 Timothy in the mornings. Afterwards, me and Joel chilled out at the flat before eventually going to evening service(where we heard a powerful and sobering sermon on the “sheep and the goats”, Matt. 25 – we serve a sovereign God – all glory to Him!!). Me and John are now sitting here in the lounge, trying to postpone going to bed…while I type away here, he’s watching Match of the Day(which is sort of like a compilation of all the highlights of all the football games played today). Sadly, there is no real(American!) football shown. Oh well. By the way, Gators beat Tennessee yesterday(wow, I can still remember my first Tennessee game back in ’05!!) and Redskins beat Arizona today! Go Skins!!

And now that I’ve made my way to sports news, it must be almost time for bed! I will be getting up in about six hours, so I guess sleeping would be good. Have a most lovely night, y’all!! Whoever’s reading this(unless you’re someone in the UK!), I’m sure I miss you.

Peace and love.

James HoganLeave a comment

Well, it’s almost time for bed, but right now I’m just relaxing on the couch at home in Tampa and loving the post-college life!! I went to Maryanne’s senior achievement banquet at Gaither tonight…where she won many awesome awards!! Hmm, speaking of awesome, they should have just made an “Awesome Award” and given it to her. On account of being awesome. I love my little sis!!

Hmm, I feel my vocabulary suffers a bit when I’m lacking sleep.

Anyways, in other news, I’m still trying to find an apartment in Houston. You may think that would be easy, but it becomes far more difficult when my only source of information is the dreadfully unreliable Internets. It’s even more frightening to realize I will be living in Houston in practically a month!!! Whoa.

And in other other news, I’m going back to Gainesville tomorrow…for what will most likely be my last hurrah!! Mm, I’m going to miss Gville. A lot. And by Gville, I mean I’m going to miss my friends. And as always…you know who you are. I don’t cry(seriously, I don’t. I don’t think I have since I was a kid)…but if I did…well, just thinking about leaving you all…it’s tough. Real tough. And yes, I know that there are lots of awesome people out in the world and that there are lots of awesome people in Houston and that I will meet lots of awesome people there this year. But I want to be with YOU ALL – my awesome friends that I have gotten so close to these past few years and will so dreadfully miss when I move.

…and now I’m getting sentimental. SAVE ME!!

It’s just that I’m jumping into such a new life…college was really just like an adult version of high school. I still had all my high school friends and school is…well, school. Now I will be starting an actual job. I will know almost no one in Houston. And I have yet no idea where I’ll be going to church(actually this is what I’m the most nervous about!!). But you know what? I will not be discouraged or anxious. Because no matter what I feel now(stupid emotions!! I wish I was like Spock from Star Trek…cool, calm and completely rational), I know that this coming year in Houston will be filled with awesomeness. Because God has so decreed.

I do so wish I wasn’t so “emotional” though. But, nothing I can do about that.

Alas.

…and wow, this entry is really random. Apologies!!

And I also wonder how many times I’ve used “awesome” in this entry. I have a bad feeling it may be in the double digits.

Oh and on yet ANOTHER note…I have henceforth decided I will not like girls. You of the female persuasion are SO much fun as friends and all…but seriously, it’s so much harder when I start liking you! Very distracting. Totally not cool. Thus I have decided that my emotions are null and void and that I will not like girls. So much easier. So much less painful. The end.

…if only it were that easy!!!! But seriously, I have realized that I need to stop thinking that a girl is the answer to problems. False. A girl has just as many problems and thoughts and feelings and emotions and hopes and prayers and dreams as I do… and by not realising that, I’m diminishing her status as a person and child of God!! And secondly, a relationship isn’t just about me. Actually, it’s not much about me at all. It’s about how we can serve God together…and then serve each other unselfishly and joyously!! So really, the moment I start thinking it’s all about me, I’m toast. So WHY oh WHY do I persist in focusing on this mythic relationship with a sweet girl when I really need to just focus on my REAL relationship with my LORD Jesus Christ?? Because I’m stupid, that’s why. But oy. I didn’t mean to go into all that now. All I can say is…I praise my holy and almighty Father for all He has done for me!!! When all is said and done, that’s really all I care about.

And again…wow. I really need to not write entries when I’m about falling asleep! Thus, I will end this literary failure and get some sweet sleep!

LOVE

James HoganLeave a comment

Well, I almost got stuck reading all my old entries here, but then I remembered I did actually want to write something here! And maybe I won’t actually post this, so I could just write nonsense and delete it and no one would know how crazy I am. Um…wait, everyone already knows.

ANYWAY, I’ve been thinking lately(yes, it’s not as much a rarity as some of you may think) about lots of things and you’re all waiting to hear WHY in particular I wanted to talk about love. Ok, maybe you’re not all wondering that, but if you read my last entry(posted mere minutes ago!), you’ll know that I promised to talk about love sometime in the near future. Hmm, what could James possibly say about love? Well, it’s not as scandalous as you may think. And for some reason, I’m feeling really awake right now, so I may actually get through this after all! And I’m just typing my thoughts here, direct from the brain to the keyboard, so pardon any weirdness.

But yeah, love. What do I mean by this? And why again do I want to talk about it? Well, I think it’s partly due to my attending RUF a few times this semester and hearing some of the messages there(the series was entitled “Sex, Dating, and the Bible”). Anyway, got me thinking about marriage and what that crazy business entails. And no, I’m not thinking about marrying anyone anytime soon, no worries! But love in marriage is something really interesting, mostly because it’s so different from what most people in the world think it is. Most people hear the world “love” and think about that magic moment, that spark between two people, those special times alone, that feeling that will last forever because “we’re meant for each other”. And quite honestly, I do not like hearing any of that. I do think that there’s going to be one person I’m going to marry and that we will have just what God intended for us and that it’s going to be awesome. But I also know that neither of us are perfect. We’ll both be flawed human beings living solely by the grace of God. And that’s just fine.

Where we go wrong is when we expect marriage to be some magical institution that will make our lives so much better and that will fill a hole in our hearts. You know what, there’s Someone that can fill that hole so much better than anyone else…and that’s Jesus Christ. I don’t want to say marriage is bad, because obviously, I want to get married someday and it’s going to be sweeet. But it’s also going to be difficult. We’re going to have times where we don’t like each other and times when we really don’t want to be with that other person. And you know those feelings and butterflies you get when you see your special someone? Well, those won’t last forever. But by God’s grace, those two people will persevere in their covenant before God. And that’s what is so awesome about marriage – two people committing to live their lives as one, joining their disparate lives by a promise to love each other forever, by the grace of God.

So what is love? Well I think I’ve basically answered that question, but love isn’t some feeling or emotion…it’s ACTION. Love is how you treat your husband or wife when you’re tired and don’t want to talk with them or don’t want to hear about their problem…yet you do. Love is when you two are arguing and are so mad at each other…yet pray before God for grace to work out the problem and put aside your selfish pride and desires. Love is when you just KNOW(because you’re obviously always right) your way is the right way, yet humbly put her before yourself because the issue really isn’t that important.

Love is not some emotional outpouring of affirmation for the other, but showing her your commitment to serving God by putting her before yourself. Love is wanting to live your lives together for God, no matter what the price. Love is knowing that you in yourself have no power and humbling yourself before God to ask for his grace and power to love your husband or wife. This is what love is.

It felt good to share all that…I’d appreciate any comments and now I think I shall get some sleep…I am feeling rather tired now!