Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Community X mas

This x mas eve i went out to my mom's families x mas whcih was in Visalia California. I am not always really really excited to go but usually do b/c my mom likes me being there. It is a rather new family b/c my mom was adopted and her biological father contacted her about 6 years ago, so it can be just different usually. However i think that there is some great and exciting ideas/projects/things that they participate in that we normally don't.

For example, most of their x mas gifts tend to be gifts that are very creative and community centered in which my x-tian family doesn't do. (by the way they arn't practicing x-tians which is just different from the rest of my church going family) B/c there are so many people in the large family they can't afford to purchase extravangant fits so for this year they gave everyone "wha-dinger sticks" which are long wooden sticks that have a fat end on the tip in which you place a uncooked bisquit on and spread really thin and cook over a open fire which leaves you with a cup of cooked dough which can handle all sorts of dessert items such as pudding or whipped cream or fruit topping. So basically after dinner we all roasted our bisquits together and had dessert. and their desire would be for us to take these camping w/ us and use them as alternatives to s'mores or in addition to. I thought that it was a brilliant thing to share w/ us all and was unique b/c g pa did it when he use to ditch class when he went to school. They also made simple bird houses for all of the families to enjoy.

So i think that it was a great x mas eve and wherever you are there are things and lesson to learn.

I gave fair trade coffee to my family and framed pics of some of my south african travels as well as my europe adventures and i think that they really enjoyed it.
tomorrow i am off to find and buy myself a car so i hope that that goes better than last time and that it will all work out nicely.


If ever you come near i'll hold up high a mirror, Lord I could never show you anything as beautiful as you ---mewithoutYou

Monday, December 17, 2007

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Seattle

So, chad, jeremy and i left for seattle on friday at approx. 4:30. we drove straight through the night and arrived in seattle at 7:25 am. we got pulled over once but no ticket so that was nice. It has been a great time thus far, Brian and his wife Corrin have treated us very hospitably. We saw David Bazan last night and he was solid as usual. We went to a lighthouse about 5 min from their apt today and are off to mars hill for a little bit of worship very shortly. I really enjoy Seattle and am having a blast w/ these new friends. Hope you are all doing well and that everything is swell. Good stuff is happening w/ the thrift store and have been super stoked about that ever since. Love to all::

Thursday, December 13, 2007

PH X Mas


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X mas Party at the Pink House. Great Food, Great Friends.

Lakes Show. Great Friends, Great Music.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

A Severe Mercy

""The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians-- when they are sombre and joyless, when they are self righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths. But, though it is just to condemn some Christians for these things, perhaps, after all, it is not just, though very easy, to condemn Christianity itself for them. Indeed, there are impressive indications that the positive quality of job is in Christianity and possibly nowhere else. If that were certain, it would be proof of a very high order.""

This is an excerpt from a book that i am reading right now entitled "a severe mercy" it is a great book so far. kind of a love story of two adventurous souls. they are (as some say) pagans and have moved to study at Oxford and are 'looking' into Christianity. He has been hit by CS Lewis's writings and is in search of finding truth in Jesus. i am maybe a 1/3 into the book and would recommend it, however it makes me want to fall in love b/c this couple seems to be very much in love and aware of it all the time. who doesn't desire that right??? well i a librarian today and it is INCREDIBLE. i am looking forward to Lakes this evening in Tower and for what a meeting w/ some thrift store people will go. God is Good. For some reason, i have the song 'if heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool' in my head. well that is what is on my mind today. Love to ALL

Friday, December 7, 2007

Piper

here is article that Piper wrote in 1980 about God being a one of wrath. just for all of those comments on that last one.

http://www.theresurgence.com/john_piper_1980-08-31_final_judgement

read it.

Also, i am looking for cars online and it is awful! Maybe i won't be one after all, dang...

So this morning i needed to be at fort miller mddle school and i couldn't find my scooter key. i was flipping out looking everywhere, by the time i gave up searching the apartment, it was 7:48. the school bell would ring in 7 min. so i was going to ride my bike there but its like 3.5 miles, so i thought i would ask one of my house mates if they could help me out. sure enough, megan decided she would drop me off at work. when i got there it was 5 min passed the bell, so i can't even imagine how late i would have been if i had rode my bike. I got some stares in the office (probably b/c what i was wearing is just my normal day to day clothes, v-neck, jeans, slip ons, army jacked) and i was super blessed by megan showing me some community and helping me out. so i think i will take the bus home b/c a lot of the students told me which one to take to go downtown. it should be fun. anyways, lesson, is to help those out in binds b/c it is very much appreciated. The rain is beautiful and so are You. ::All Praise Be To God::