The morning papers make the most out of nothing at all

(Skip to the last paragraph if you don't feel like reading but want something to think about)

I suppose the lack of blogs is due to the fact that I've had nothing to say lately. Or, that I've been doing so much that I haven't had time to ponder it all in a carefully worded blog. As I've been in Northern Ireland, I've gotten more in touch with my creative side. And upon embracing the right side of my brain more frequently, I've become a lot less organized. I realize that writing is an art form, but for me it's a way to organize my thoughts as well. Therefore, the lack of writing stemming from my lack of organization. Maybe? I'm thinking of printing out my blogs & stapling them into my journal, which is looking bare itself.

This blistery Sunday afternoon started out with good intentions to take a walk & say goodbye to a couple more of those leftover Christmas cookies. But then Lorraine sparked the fire in the fireplace, & the living room was so cozy, &, ahh, I kind of just sat & didn't get up. Sitting in a good way though; I'd like to take a picture of the living room at the moment because it is an array of colored markers, a couple notebooks, my violin, my mac (opened to garage band for music-making), and two books (my Bible & The Shack, to be specific). So despite being temporarily glued to the floor, it was still a colorful, musical, and wholeheartedly whimsical & productive afternoon!

I shared this whimsical productive experience with Sufjan Stevens. He's been playing from my computer all afternoon. My thoughts of Mr Stevens are only good ones; his uncoventional music makes me feel exuberantly frolicsome (...thank you, Thesaurus), and while it may seem idiosyncratic (mmm yes Thesaurus strikes again) to those who are less offbeat than myself, I'd recommend that everybody give him a listen. Not only are the titles of his songs outstanding by themselves, the lyrics inside each song envelop the soul. I never realized how spiritual some of his lyrics are until I heard his version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (a common hymn) and began listening to his lyrics more closely. Here's some of my favs:

"& I'm joining every thought to you, & I'm preparing every part for you" ["All the Trees of the Forest Will Clap Their Hands"]
I relate this line completely to my relationship with God, as I strive to make every one of my thoughts & every aspect of my life of & for Him. I won't ever accomplish the plan He has for my life without doing just that.

"Dear Mr. Supercomputer" --- What a song!
"Springfield with its freak and banter strike the cantor 'God is dead, God is dead'"
I'd say that line summarizes our world. The American ideal, "In God We Trust" remains just that, an ideal. As our world turns to horoscopes and underground magazines to find the meaning of life, the Bible is left in the dust. To try to gain wisdom, we have thrown true Wisdom away.

"I rejoice in what I carry in my heart. It overwhelms what a man, Great Emancipation plans."
And yes. The reason for the title of my blog. The freedom that God offers through his Son, Jesus... it is indeed overwhelming. It's what makes me so passionate. When Jesus was nailed to that cross, all of our burdens, worries, fears, sorrows, were nailed there with Him. They died with Him, &, unlike Jesus, they weren't resurrected. And so we are FREE from them! We are more free than we allow ourselves to be most of the time (Read Colossians 2:13-15 in case I'm wrong).

Check out these songs as well: "Carlyle Lake", "Woman at the Well", & "Chicago"

Love.

8 Things

Put your star in a bell jar.

Sit back and watch the bazaar 

whilst you smoke a cigar.

[What is more hypocritical than

chocolate in a salad bar?]

And as the acoustic guitar 

soothes your heart's scar

remember Myanmar.

It's more than optimism.

The message of the Love of Christ is a bestseller. It's number one on all of the charts.

Our world is longing for a Savior, a Never-Ending Love. The problem is that all of our love songs are directed at loves that fail and die rather than the Great Love we're all longing for.

Lately the weather has been so bipolar...

Well it's a typical day in Northern Ireland.

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is stretch my neck to look out the window for the weather forecast. This morning, it was raining. Typical.

About an hour later, it was snowing. Wow, snow! 

About an hour later, the sun was out & the sky was beautifully blue.

And now after a couple hours of sky blue sky, it is snowing again.

But wait! Oh, the snow is slowing down.... 

[Edit..30 minutes later.]

The sun is shining, & the clouds are scarce.

Unfailing Love

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the Lord with the harp;

make music on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully, shout for joy.

For the word of the Lord is right and true;

He is faithful in all he does.

The Lord loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

[Psalm 32:11-33:5]

On Wednesday night I had the privilege to attend a percussion & vocals worship night. Everyone sat in a circle and those who had drums began a simple beat. There were extra drums, maracas, & all kinds of percussion instruments in the middle for anyone to pick up and use if they wanted. The simple beat would always grow & grow until it turned into an orchestral wave of rhythm. Most of the time I just closed my eyes and meditated on the rhythm, but the best part was when we would sing to it. Our voices were the instruments that claimed and maintained the key. I thought it might be awkward to sing along to only percussion, but it was surprisingly easy, & freeing. I found the music to be freshly raw and thus more authentic than worshiping along to an entire band. It was an experience I hope to have again in the future.

Worship is honoring and praising God. I find the most genuine type of worship is that which we do with our lives. But when we're able to connect with God through music, by singing to him from our innermost being, creating melody for him by plucking or bowing some strings or banging on a drum... I just know that's what music was meant for. I feel an awesome sense of God when I'm praising him with music, different and more real than anything other type of love. I guess it's because I know I'm worshipping a Love that will never fail.

A conversation I had

So Cheryl Bailie (my "line-manager"-boss-friend) is awesome. On Friday I was sitting in the office wracking my brain for some innovative ideas for Kidsfest (to be only the sweetest kid's program ever) when she told me to go out & get some fresh air (She reads me like a book). The walk that I took was just what I needed. I didn't think of any innovative ideas, but God answered other questions that have been lingering in my mind. I've been asking Him WHY? : "Why am I here God? I'm not doing anyting that any of the other DYFC workers/volunteers can't do to impact this town, from what I can see at least. Kidsfest? Cheryl can think of way better ideas anyway, & I'm not really an evangelist either. Anything that I can do, others in Dromre can do as well, & I can do anywhere. Why Dromore, Lord? Why can't I be in some physically impoverished place where I'm able to see the results of my efforts & feel appreciated by the peole I am helping? I want to get back to basics (Jeremiah 6:16! I so want it!)- surely living in a hut & eating rice for dinner would be just that?! So, again, why Dromore?"

I said all of that to God whilst dandering through the woods of Dromore park with "Freewheel" by Duke Special looping around my mind, & God replied,

"Faith is being certain of what you cannot see- this is why I've had your nose stuck in Hebrews 11 & pondering faith lately! You are here in Dromore by faith... though you can't always see all the results of your efforts to inspire, guide, & love like you would if you were in a third-world country or any place with physical needs, & though you may not always be helping people who appreciate your efforts, know & trust that I need you here. Have faith that your presence in this town is necessary for this time. 'Back to basics' doesn't only mean back to material things... the most basic of all 'things' is to Love. Love for all you're worth."

Freed from doubt & sure of my Savior's hand in my life, I meandered back to the office.

NI vs USA

What if rain drops were different colors & so when it rained buildings would become multi-colored? And they wouldn't all run together & turn brown because the colors miraculously wouldn't mix. God could do that, & it would be stellar. Ireland would be the most colorful place in the world!

They don't refrigerate their eggs in the supermarket?! ...& 5 other things done differently in Northern Ireland (& probably the entirety of the UK) than the US:

1. Cute &/or fancy mailboxes are non-existent. Rather, post-boxes (a slit in the door) are installed on every front door, & the post man walks up to each door to deliver the mail. To send mail, one must go to the post office, or use a community post-box down the street (I suppose this probably happens in some places in the States as well?)

2. "Crisp" (potato chip) flavors: Fancy trying some Roast Ox (actually not too bad) or Prawn Cocktail crisps? How about Worcestershire Sauce, or Pickled Onion?

3. For dinner (or, "tea"), usually your food is piled onto your plate for you in the kitchen, & then brought out to you at the table. I prefer the American way of putting all the food on the table & everyone helping themselves. (I'm not a fan of gravy, & I unfortunately tend to forget to mention that before my plate is brought out to me.) 

4. In a wedding, the bride's family pays for bridesmaids' dresses & groomsmen's tuxes. Lucky for the bridesmaids & groomsmen... not so much for the happy couple.

5. This isn't really something "done" differently, but check out these police cars & ambulances! You can't miss them on the road.

So there's some culture for you =] & for some reason this is typing underlined & I can't get it off....In the DYFC office, now consisting of our fantastic 2008-2009 team (Cheryl, David, Anna, Bob, & myself...check out our photos... link to the right...), we've been brainstorming for the year ahead. For those of you who don't know, the Base has gone mobile. We no longer have the centre that housed BaseKids and Drop-In; what we do have, however, is a mobile caravan, out of which we're praying that God is going to do great things. I've been put in charge of a project that will hopefully electrify out children's ministry.. 

Love.