Tag: messiah

Forever

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Brief entry! Just rolled in to work after a couple hours of sleep(yes, after a tragic few hours sitting on the tarmac in Houston last night…I didn’t quite get to bed until sometime after two in the morning). I have my hazulnut mocha and it is a beautifully cold morning and I have to confess I had a pretty sweet drive in to work…listening to the last few pieces of the Messiah. Glorious. And a perfect way to start this work week. Although I am still a bit sad to be back in Houston after leaving the family in Florida last night…such sweet times were had with Dad, Mom, Maryanne, Laura, Caisson…and it’s oh so bittersweet to leave them and fly back here to Houston. And now I’m off(Oh – one sidenote! Best football weekend in a long time this past weekend…Skins beat the Eagles to win the NFC East – represent! And in my second(and final?) year playing fantasy football with people here, I clinched the league title in convincing fashion, 139-50. Not a bad football weekend at all!).

And now I really have to go and start work here. Sipping my coffee and being productive. Sounds like a plan. Have a sweet day, one and all!

Behold the Day

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Hi friends!! Happy Christmas Eve!!! I’m posting a quick entry from Tampa home! I have been meaning to write more this break(I’ve been here for five days now!), but alas, an abundance of good times with family and friends has prevented me. Alas indeed. But no complaints whatsoever! And now I find myself faced with the problem of too much to write about. Well, suppose we shall bounce back to Friday night, shall we? One of my favorite nights of this whole past year, I can confidently assert! Went with a group of friends(had fourteen of us!) to see Handel’s Messiah at Jones Hall in downtown Houston. It was a grand evening with simply wonderful friends. We were pretty snazzily dressed up(if I do say so myself!!) and after we finished our dinner at Bombay’s Pizza, we made our way to the hall and then enjoyed a marvelous few hours hearing and seeing the Houston Symphony perform the Messiah. I may have said this before, so pardon the repetition, but this is my favorite piece of music ever, and every time I hear it…it delights my soul. And hearing it live – oh joy!!! I really wish I could properly convey the feeling at being there, but my skill with words is not sufficient to the task. But hearing God be praised via the words of the Scripture(Isaiah! Malachi! Psalms! Luke! and more!) by so many beautiful voices…oh gorgeous. Just a little piece of heaven. And again, hearing that with some of my dear friends, thinking on the deep and wonderful mysteries of God Almighty, Saviour of my soul…I cannot express my heart. ’tis wonderful.

And now I feel I can’t really get back to writing about the rest of this week…but it’s been an amazing time with the family – Dad, Mom, Laura, Maryanne, Caisson…eating so much delicious food, watching fun movies(Jurassic World – Maryanne’s choice! Alice Adams, a classic Katherine Hepburn movie – Mom’s choice! Star Wars: The Force Awakens – All of our choice!! And if I took time to write a review of that movie now…in all its space-rollicking-adventure glory splashed across the cinema screen…this would be far too long of an entry!). And now it is Christmas Eve, and Dad is resting on the couch, Maryanne’s making her oven-roasted potatoes(lots of them!), and Laura and Caisson are shortly going to be cooking the steak and asparagus…while I laze about and type on this keyboard. And oft-times, I feel so unworthy of all these blessings…my thoughts and emotions whirl about within me in frantic currents and I doubt my place…yet then I think back on what God my Father has given me, and who He is. My Father, my God. My Love. And I rest in His loving arms and I fear no more. All glory be unto Him, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Now, time for me to contribute to this Christmas Eve dinner in some fashion. Maybe I’ll do some of the dishes here. Peace, my friends. Peace and love, forever and always.

Into Space

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Evening!! Just thought I’d post a few words here as I wait for my tea to steep(earl grey, if you’re keen to know!). Chilling here at the house with Daniel, watching a little classic Numb3rs and enjoying a peaceful Sunday evening. Last night, went to see the Houston Chamber Choir perform Handel’s Messiah, my all-time favorite piece of music. I haven’t seen it live since…I think 2011(obviously far too long!). As always, hearing it live was simply magnificent – beautiful music lifted up to our God on high. I wish I could write more words, but alas – my feeble prose is not enough to sing the song of my heart. So now, I will be quiet and go get my tea(which should be properly steeped by now!). Have a happy Sunday, all!!

Grey Velvet

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Quick early-morning-before-work post! Spent this morning having a lovely drive to work in the slowly falling rain…listening to my favorite music ever – Handel’s Messiah and sipping on my peppermint mocha…

Surely our griefs He himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

-Isaiah 53:4-6

Messiah

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Good evening, my friends!

The light is slowly fading here in Houston and I say goodbye to a lovely Saturday. It’s been a grey day here…but somehow that accentuated the beauty all the more. Clouds scudding before the wind and autumnal leaves dancing across the city pavement and the kiss of the winter light upon the earth. And as I drove around this day, I couldn’t help but think of the God who made it all. And now I listen to Handel’s Messiah as I write this, firmly convinced it’s one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. Surely it is my favorite piece, that I cannot deny. In a little bit, I’m going to start getting dinner ready…going to be a delicious vegetable and bean soup(carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, beans, etc….), recipe graciously passed to me by Dad! A perfect warm meal for a winter evening. Maybe I’ll even write a bit of something? I can always hope! Peace, my dear friends.

Refiner’s Fire

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Good morning, my friends!! It’s a beautifully cold morning in Houston, what! I think it’s approximately forty degrees, which is…surprising. But hey, I’m not complaining. I feel like I’m back in Scotland, as I’m pretty much wearing exactly what I would be wearing in Aberdeen – scarf, coat, boots and all!. So I could almost feel like I walked down George St. to Books and Beans today and sat at my normal table. Alas, that is not true. I drove down Westheimer and am now at my (semi)normal table at Beans! Still enjoying my mocha. Some things never change. God is good. Always.

And because it’s almost Christmas and I feel like it – listening to the Messiah right now. Simply lovely. I don’t think I’m going to see it in person this year – there’s a surprising lack of people who want to see it, and I’m not quite desperate enough to go alone! Maybe next year. I can still enjoy it on my iTunes…yeah.

Anyways, you all may have to get used to more sporadic updates from now on, as I’ve still not got Internet in my flat yet. I may soon, but holding off as long as I can. So – coffeeshop updates for now! Today’s going to be a fun day – a very much Saturday kind of day. Once I meander home from here(which may be a while), I’m going to go to the store(i.e., Super-Target!) and get cookie-making ingredients and cleaning supplies. Then home-time to make Christmas cookies! Of course, I’ve already had a few of Mom’s when I was home over Thanksgiving. That whetted my appetite enough that I simply must make my own now. And Abby, Claire and Charlotte are throwing a Christmas party tonight, so I want to take my cookies there(speaking of, I need to find a tacky Christmas sweater for aforesaid party. Hm. Let’s hope Target can provide). Anyways, besides making cookies this afternoon, I’ll probably just be continuing to go through some of my boxes that I haven’t opened yet(all clothes I’ve not worn in three years..) and I also need to do some cleaning and some laundry. Typical. To make it all more fun, I figure I’ll throw on Star Wars to play in background.

And this is a very chatty post – my apologies if I’ve bored you to death!!

I think I’m going to enjoy the coffeeshop here a bit more(not time to go out in cold yet). I might even write a bit more later, we shall see. Peace and love, my friends!

All we, like sheep

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Lunch time here at work! Actually, it’s about over but thought I’d post a quick update, seeing as this last week has been most full of awesomeness! Hopefully I’ll get around to a longer post later detailling my adventures with Deanna throughout Scotland(and yes, it was an amazing few days!!) but for now, suffice it to say that…yeah, Scotland’s a pretty beautiful country. It’s true.

And last night, went with Rosemary to see Handel’s Messiah at the Music Hall here in Aberdeen – my first time ever seeing this performed! Listening to it on my laptop is most definitely not the same thing. So amazingly lovely and gorgeous and our-Lord-glorifying and beautiful and powerful and majestic. And He shall reign forever and ever! My only regret…that I couldn’t sing with them! Ahh, one day. One day.

And now it’s time to get back to work, but know this: tonight will be my first night to myself in quite some time, so I will most definitely enjoy the time to relax and read and SLEEP. Oh the sleep will be welcome! I may or may not have a satisfying dinner of delicious hamburgers, baked potatoes and crispy green beans too. Mmmm. If I don’t fall asleep first.

Have a simply lovely day, y’all! Love you guys!!