ooohhh...

New camera!

the park...

I went to the park on Saturday afternoon and took some pictures, it was such a beautiful afternoon...

So tired...

I have had soooo little sleep over the last few days! Last night was the Exodus commissioning service, so I met up with the guys on my team. We had a great night, the service was fantastic and it felt so short, even though it was half ten before the service finished, and another hour before we actually left! After that we headed out round to Portstewart for some scran, and then down onto the beach. (Go Pizza Express, by the way, great food!)

By the time I got home and into bed it was 2 am. We then had a fundraising event this morning, a car boot sale, and we were meeting at 6 am to set up etc. So I was out of bed again at 5 am - a whole 3 hours in bed! Great fun. As you can imagine I am knackered now, and am just about to get ready and head to work! Hopefully it will be a nice quiet night, just ally and me in tonight I think.

More later... maybe when I wake out of this semi-zombie like state!

Jesus I need you...

Last night a guy from Calvery Chapel spoke at the Wash Basin, and it was a great night. Think the thing I took from it most was simply to appreciate the word 'so' - a word that implies the following word cannot posibly describe what it wants to convey. For example 'so great' meaning its greater than the word great can describe.

Last night we also launched a new team, called the Love Foundation. It will endevour simply to say 'we love you' to some of the very special people in our lives. To launch last night, they presented Tony with a wee dog. It was beautiful to watch these guys with tears in their eyes as they just showed him how much we appreciate him. I have to admit, there were tears close to my eyes too. The transformation in Tony's life has been incredible.

It got me thinking about 'broken' people again. The WB has afforded me the opportunity to meet so many people from walks of life I never imagined... drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. It seems to be these guys that have the greatest capacity to love. Maybe it is like the guy said last night, maybe it is because their deliverance has been great. It's playing on my mind heavy at the minute, I re-read Red Moon Rising again (very strategic book for school CU!) and have a quote running through my head...

"But maybe the call the pray is a call to bleed as well as to recieve blessing."

What if God is calling us as a generation, to feel the pain all around us. This truly is a generation that seems to be hurting more profoundly than any other- just look at the suicide rates, among young people especially. And we know that prayer changes everything. So what if, as God calls us back to prayer, He's really calling us to hurt? To feel the pain around us. To weep for the broken people. To meet them in their pains, rather than 'pray from a distance'.

Where do we go from here?

FREEDOM!...

... No more exams!! Happy days. Man its been too long since I last posted... sorry guys. Exams are finally over, had my last one this morning, ICT module 2. Went well i think! Now that they're out of the way I have a bit more free time to concentrate on important stuff - like SonShine week, and the likes.

So next thing... Foy!

The guy is incredible! I went to hear him play in Belfast on Friday night, and he blew me away again. Was the first time i'd heard him perform with a band, and it was impressive- im looking forward to his EP finally coming out. You can check his stuff out here. If you havent heard him yet - make the effort to go see him! Big things are a-coming.

That'll do for today me thinks.

random!...

In such a random mood today, dont have much to post about. Still doing exams, had one this morning, didn't go as well as hoped, but what can you do? 8 down, only 4 to go. I finish on the 21st, so will have to treat myself after it... a nice cup of coffee in my favourite coffee shop sounds good! Not like I havent been there anyway... twice already this week... opps.

Theres a lot happening in me at the minute, lots of God-stuff, and stuff with family and friends too. Seems to be 'going around' currently, have noticed a few of you guys posting about 'therapy blogs' and the likes... well, mine is a kind of therapy in letting me get my thoughts out and written down, but not in the really personal sense where I tell you all my deepest, darkest secrets! Sorry, that stuffs reserved for my closest buds. I may post more on the topic, or what God is doing with me, as I feel lead...

Yearning...

"Lord I want to yearn for You
I want to burn with passion
Over You and only You
Lord I want to yearn"

The words to that song are resonating deeply with me. Man I just want that to be me. Thats my deepest longing... I just want to be passionate over my Saviour. And I know I havent been lately, not like I should. I've been listening to that song, and its become my prayer.

Lord, I want to yearn for You.

Third Day...

Last night I was at the Third Day concert in Belfast... and it was amazing. The guys just put on such a great show. I ended up sitting 4 th row, but got some great pictures up at the front.

They played Show Me Your Glory this year too, so I was pleased... its my favourite song and they didnt play it last year. All in all it was a pretty good set list, they did a few new songs too. Fantastic!

Music...

Have you every really thought about the power of music? I was listening to an album today, and got to thinking about all the situations it's used in- in films, adverts, shops, even a soundtrack to our own lives. Music seems to have some kind of magical quality about it that can produce all sorts of emotions and feelings within us. What is it about music than can do that to me? Is it the lyrics? The melody? What? There was a really good discussion on the philosphy of music on the Down to Earth forum, you can check it out here. Well, it took a while to get into it, but if you perserver there are some interesting points raised.
I think my favourite question raised was, "Does it communicate something, or is it a mirror for us to see in?" I dont know the answer to that question, but when i've thought about it, I think for most people it is some kinda of 'mirror' for us to see ourselves in. When you look at the types of music we listen to in different situations, it almost always seems to relate to whatever situation we're going through... for example, think of the typical music you play when your going through a break-up, really romantic stuff, or when your high as a kit and everythings going great, you play something uplifting.
Its really cool! I wonder how God feels when he hears music? I wonder does he feel the same range of emotions from it? What does it sound like to God? Wow, big, mind-blowing thoughts!

Work...

Today was the first time in weeks that I have worked a Saturday daytime- have been working evenings a lot due to commitments with my Exodus team. The restaurant was soo slow today, not that I'm complaining mind you, was quite a nice day. Plus I was really tired today due to too many late nights, so it was nice to not be stretched!

(P.S. - I know the picture is random, I was in a very artsy mood when I took it!)

The best of you...

"Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
You trust, you must
Confess"

Lyrics from the new Foo Fighters song, Best of You. Really good song by the way, however, right now, I'm just loving the lyrics. Can you feel the emotion in it, the tension? It's just honesty. I think for me it's making me search again... where is my faith? Is it still here? Where did the hope go? So I just keep trusting, even through the pain... what else can I do?