31.1.05

passionate for jesus...

am i passionate for jesus? i love jesus, but am i really passionate for him right now? i spoke with a friend from BC yesterday and was completely blown away by the passion he has for jesus.... all he could do was give non-stop testimony to what god has been doing in his life. scripture and praise bubbled forth from this guy who just three years ago seemed to be plodding through bibleschool in sweden, trying to stay on top of his first love of basketball, and dealing with family issues a continent away.
and i suddendly realized that i so badly want that same passion, or i want to be back in that place of passion... i want my life to give testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of god, i want to bubble over with joy and praise, i want jesus to be my first love. may he remove the fog of the world from me so i can see clearly.... i'm terrified that my own wants and desires in this life overshadow my wants and desires for the lover of my soul.
lord, loosen my tongue so i may give praise and glory to your name!
i don't want the rocks to cry out for me! (luke 19:40)

29.1.05

peace starts here

We often think of peace as the absence of war; that if the powerful countries would reduce their arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds - our prejudices, fears, and ignorance. Even if we transported all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the reasons for bombs would still be here, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we would make new bombs.

Seek to become more aware of what causes anger and separation, and what overcomes them. Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others will be possible.

~ by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Story of the Weeping Camel

what odd and wonderful creatures!!

home.... from an mk's point of view

just had an email from my friend, gabe, who three days ago left for scotland.... his p.s. so struck a chord with me as i too have often wondered just where home is.... when we start identifying what (or where) home is a bit more what are we losing? as mk's we tend to identify not so much with a place as much as perhaps with a people or an experience... or perhaps with a lifestyle... anyway, here's his p.s.....

P.S. One experience I forgot to mention in the email - today was the first time, I think, that I called the USA home. I usually don't call anywhere home, leastwise the USA, but I referred to something as home, meaning back in the States, and it really startled me. I guess it's a good thing because it means I've accepted life there and I'm enjoying it and the people there are beginning to seem like a family of sorts, but at the same time it felt kind of weird, like I'd somehow become less of an MK or something. I still don't think I'd ever make that slip while in the US, or in Indoneisa, but somehow being here and rather out of anything familiar for basically the first time I guess is giving me a better idea of what other people feel like when they go overseas. Which is one of the reasons I came, so I guess this trip is already being good for me. Anyway, just another thought for you all.

26.1.05

history....

food for thought.....

If we want to serve the true God, we must break out of the circle of self-absorption and pay heed to the bloodied faces of our fellow human beings. If we do not share life with the oppressed, we do not share life with God.

~leonardo boff

20.1.05

where are you?

ever wonder why people come in and out of your life? sometimes it's for a year or two, or in some cases even just a couple of days.... they have a profound impact on your life and then they disappear into the mist.... you try to keep in touch, but ultimately time creeps by and you lose touch and then it's even harder to get on the horn and check up on them.... and then there are others with whom you don' t talk for months or years and when you do talk to them, you pick up right where you left off..... why does that work with some people and not with others?

it's been too long.... and i wonder how you are.... i'm sorry for not catching up with you....

14.1.05

What Van Gogh Saw

Van Gogh saw
the way our hearts burn
like the pinwheel stars
swirling in the night-mad sky,

the way our spirits,
bent and bruised in life’s field,
reach endlessly upward
like the cypress trees
full of knotty whorls
curling upwards to mingle with,
and plead benediction from,

the sea-waved sky,
the way wild-maned sunflowers
are almost dizzy with themselves
and the power of heavy seed
flaming within them.

Lose an ear,
lose your mind.
Lose your life,

while your resolve scatters
like crows over the wheatfield
and Lazarus forever blooms
under a fiery sun.

~Raphaelle Kosek

7.1.05

Why fear the dark?
How can we help but love it
when it is the darkness
that brings the stars to us?
What's more: who does not know
that it is on the darkest nights
that the stars acquire
their greatest splendor?


- Dom Helder Camara (1909-1999), Brazilian Catholic archbishop

4.1.05

alias....

for all you hard-core alias folks - tomorrow is the big night!!! season IV is about to begin!!!

3.1.05

ahhhh.... the joke is on me!!

please don't let this be an indicator of what this year holds for me....

after mumbling and grumbling all weekend long that i'm not ready to go back to work yet, I force myself out of my warm fluffy bed this morning to make it to the office bright and early. After sorting through office stuff for about 45 min, I decide to check our school's main website, only to realize (with a lack of amusement) that today, January 3, the entire school is closed.... the joke must be on me.....

by 10:15am i had finished my grocery shopping, stopped by church, and am back home.... amazing!!

so, now the question is.... what next? how do i spend this last free day??

2.1.05

chinese fortune cookies

i'm always slightly amused at the quaint little sayings found in fortune cookies.... most of the time they range from the mundane - "A new business venture is about to begin" to the promising - "You shall set foot on many shores."

Here are three of the latest I have gotten:

The mysterious side of your nature makes you most alluring. (which side?? alluring to whom??)

Answer just what your heart prompts you. (within context this one was a bit scary!)

Time is the wisest counselor. (a good and timely reminder!)

So, remember, if you are in need of some solid advice.... go out for chinese food, but be sure to leave some room for the inclusive dessert cookie with a message.

1.1.05

happy new year to all!!!

t'is a night to remember.....

i'm sure this new year's celebration will go down in my history books....

location: activity hall in the basement of a catholic church in GR
time: 7-?pm (surely past midnight at least!)
clientele: anyone from 28 years old (amy was by far the youngest!) TO hmmmmm.... the spinnin' dj was at least 75+ years old
activity: chicken cordon blue & some foot & hip action on the dance floor
most surprising thing(s): the 15 drink limit (at the discretion of the bartender!) and the amazing moves several of these seniors performed.... and the fact that we made it past 1:00am.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! May you all have had an equally memorable start to 2005!!!

an evening out with the senior citizens...
a night out at the catholic church....
the 75+ year old DJ
at the bartender's discretion...