ok go - "end love" & "this too shall pass"

Ok. This is definitely a little silly. But I love it and it makes me laugh or at least smile, so here you go. Some Ok Go. You've gotta love their videos.

more happy, smiley songs

feist - "1234"


regina spektor - "on the radio"


regina spektor - "better"

bright as yellow

"Bright As Yellow" - Innocence Mission

And you live your life with your arms stretched out.
Eye to eye when speaking.
Enter rooms with great joy shouts,
happy to be meeting.

And bright,
bright,
bright as yellow,
warm as yellow.

And I do not want to be a rose.
I do not wish to be pale pink,
but flower scarlet, flower gold.
And have no thorns to distance me,

but be bright,
bright,
bright as yellow,
warm as yellow.

Even if I'm shouting, even if I'm shouting here
inside.
Even if I'm shouting, do you see that I'm wanting,
that I want to be so
bright,
bright,
bright as yellow,
warm as yellow.

Rey de Justicia

"Rey de Justicia" - En Espiritu y Verdad

Rey de Justicia, Rey de Verdad
Rey de Salvación, Rey de Salvación

Yo quiero subir al monte del sol
Contigo habitar por la eternidad
Tu abriste camino que llevas al Padre
Entregaste tu vida, derramaste tu sangre

Rey de Justicia, Rey de Verdad
Rey de Salvación, Rey de Salvación

Marcaste la historia con tu salvación
Quitando el pecado que no se parro
Abriste camino y llevaste al Padre
Entregaste tu vida, derramaste tu sangre

Rey de Justicia, Rey de Verdad
Rey de Salvación, Rey de Salvación

Extienda tu reina en nuestras vidas
Ascienta tu trono en nuestros corazones
Extienda tu reina en nuestras vidas
Ascienta tu trono en nuestros corazones

Abriste camino que llevas al Padre
Entregaste tu vida, derramaste tu sangre
Abriste camino que llevas al Padre
Entregaste tu vida, derramaste tu sangre

Rey de Justicia, Rey de Verdad
Rey de Salvación, Rey de Salvación

I love this song. I think it's probably originally by Hillsong, but En Espíritu y Verdad sings it in Spanish. I love it because it reminds me of God's greatness and the security found in him alone. :-)

good food for thought

"O Lord God,
Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;
and I would flee to no other refuge,
wash in no other fountain,
build on no other foundation,
receive from no other fullness,
rest in no other relief..."
-- "Jesus My Glory," The Valley of Vision

"Glorious Jehovah, my Covenant God,
All thy promises in Christ Jesus are
yea an amen, and all shall be fulfilled.
Thou hast spoken them, and they shall be done,
commanded, and they shall come to pass.
Yet I have often doubted thee,
have lived at times as if there were no God.
Lord, forgive me that death in life,
when I have found something apart from thee,
when I have been content with ephemeral things.
But through thy grace I have repented;
Thou hast given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus,
and my soul doth trust in him, my God incarnate,
the ground of my life, the spring of my hope.
Teach em to be resigned to thy will,
to delight in thy law, to have no will but thine,
to believe that everything thou doest is for my good.
Help me to leave my concerns in thy hands,
for thou hast power over evil,
and bringest from it an infinite progression of good,
until thy purposes are fulfilled.
Bless me with Abraham's faith
that staggers not at promises through unbelief.
May I not instruct thee in my troubles,
but glorify thee in my trials;
Grant me a distinct advance in the divine life;
May I reach a higher platform,
leave the mists of doubt and fear in the valley,
and climb to hill-tops of eternal security in Christ
by simply believing he cannot lie,
or turn from his purpose.
Give me the confidence I out to have in him
who is worthy to be praised,
and who is blessed for evermore."
-- "Divine Promises," The Valley of Vision

"Eternal Father,
It is amazing love,
that thou hast sent thy Son
to suffer in my stead,
that thou hast added the Spirit
to teach, comfort, guide,
that thou hast allowed
the ministry of angels
to wall me round;
All heaven subserves
the welfare of a poor worm.
Permit thy unseen servants
to be ever active on my behalf,
and to rejoice when grace expands in me.
Suffer them never to rest
until my conflict is over,
and I stand victorious
on salvation's shore..."
-- "Spiritual Helps," The Valley of Vision

"O Lord,
Whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible,...
Let me dwell in thy most secret place under thy shadow,
where is safe impenetrable protection from
the arrows that flieth by day,
the pestilence that walketh in darkness,
the strife of tongues,
the malice of ill-will,
the hurt of unkind talk,
the snares of company,
the perils of youth,
the temptation of middle life,
the mournings of old age,
the fear of death...
All my jewels I give to the shadow of the safety
that is in thee-
my name anew in Christ,
my body, soul, talents, character,
my success, wife, children, friends, work,
my present, my future, my end.
Take them, they are thine, and I am thine,
now and for ever."
-- "Refuge," The Valley of Vision

"Lord Jesus,
Give me to love thee, to embrace thee,
though I once took lust and sin in my arms.
Thou didst love me before I loved thee,
an enemy, a sinner, a loathsome worm.
Thou didst own me when I disclaimed myself;
Thou dost love me as a [daughter],
and weep over me as over Jerusalem.
Love brought thee from heaven to earth,
from earth to the cross,
from the cross to the grave.
Love cause thee to be
weary, hungry, tempted,
scorned, scourged,
buffeted, spat upon,
crucified, and pierced.
Love led thee to bow thy head in death.
My salvation is the point where
perfect created love
and the most perfect uncreated love
meet together;
for thou dost welcome me,
not like Joseph and his brothers,
loving and sorrowing, but loving and rejoicing.
This love is not intermittent, cold, changeable;
it does not cease or abate for all my enmity.

Holiness is a spark from thy love
kindled to a flame in my heart by thy Spirit,
and so it ever turns to the place
from which it comes.
Let me see thy love everywhere,
not only in the cross,
but in the fellowship of believers
and in the world around me.
When I feel the warmth of the sun
may I praise thee who art the Sun of righteousness
with healing power.
When I feel the tender rain
may I think of the gospel showers
that water my soul.
When I walk by the river side
may I praise thee for that stream that makes
the eternal city glad, and washes white my robes
that I may have the right to the tree of life.
Thy infinite love is a mystery of mysteries,
and my eternal rest lies
in the eternal enjoyment of it."
-- "Love," The Valley of Vision

Corinne Bailey Rae - that's what I'm listening to right now. It's amazing how music can change your mood and somehow make it all better. I think music is somehow part of God's common grace to us. It is part of the world that reflects a better place and that can make us feel at home, content, and just happy.

Right now I'm seeing more of the brokenness of life and the world and my little world and yet I know, at least in my head, that isn't the full picture. Hmm... thank goodness for happy music. "Just like a star" and the rest of that album is shining some sun on my rainy, dark day, which in reality isn't all that dark.

:-)

things that make me happy: adventure, good music, films that make you want to run, wind in my face, fresh air, good coffee, good wine, good food, really good food, friends, time with people i love, feeling cared for, God's grace, remembering what I love, French, Spanish, beautiful poetry, beauty, candles, plants, flowers, nature, the Bible, Jesus, traveling, the Gospel, having someone confide in me, someone really listening and caring, feeling like a princess or fairy, feeling supernatural - like a superhero, doing the impossible, lavender, fruit, good hearty salads, sushi, being used in peoples' lives, inspiring, massages, cute boots, cute clothes, amazing dresses, my family, Sevilla, Madrid, NYC, spending time with my brother & sister, relaxed time with people, walking, long walks, running, adrenaline, creating, creativity, art, music, seeing artists in action, fresh blueberries, strawberries, fresh daisies, roses, fresh cut flowers, cafe con soja, journaling, sewing, painting, sketching, driving, having things clean, tea, lavender lattés, cool pictures, tapas, jamón serrano, paris, ...

a few little thoughts

one, I love doing campus ministry in Spain. somehow it makes me come alive just being on campus, but even more so actually talking to students about things that matter, or being in their midst when this happens.

this week we're repeating an outreach we did last year called, "What do you see?" (although it sounds way better and catchier in Spanish.) basically we've advertised for a few weeks on campus with fotos and the phrase, "What do you see?" and we've also just put plain black or white flyers with the same phrase. this week we've had tables up on campus with 50 fotos that they can choose from to answer questions about life, the world, hope, brokenness, God,... they answer with pictures, which actually makes them more honest and more willing to answer deep, personal questions. they then have the option of telling us in words why, but either way it gets them thinking. and to me it seems obvious that a picture is worth a thousand words. somehow a picture sticks with you longer. so, i'm excited. it's been to hear students talking with their friends about deep things and it's been fun to see them come back and bring friends just to find out what they would have chosen and why. i've been in some of the conversations, but the majority i've just been a fly on the wall.

today in the midst of another long day, basically 6-7 hours standing up and interacting with people, i was looking around and remembering how much I love just being on campus. recently we've been organizing activities and getting things going, so while i've been with students, i haven't actually spent as much time on campus. it's been nice the past few days. it reminded me again why i love what i do.

it's very much a side note, but it's also been curious, or interesting, to see the huge change in fashion this year. the past few years there were quite a lot of dreads and hippies on campus and then just normal euro trends. this year we've taken a huge swing back to the 80s. big hair is in. the hippies are much more hard core in their dress, with dog collar bracelets and such. tons of heavy metal or hard core band shirts, tons of black, but all black. lots of bleached hair. lots of leggings and leather pants. lots of aviator glasses. i've been people watching and told tyler (a friend on the campus team) that i can picture people stepping out of back to the future, fame, flashdance, dirty dancing, family ties, etc., it's definitely euro-80s, with a bit more style than the US counterparts, but it's still 80s all the way.

i have some good reflecting i was going to blog, but i need to run out the door. so i'll have to do that another day.

friends

Okay, so yes it's true that I need to get some sleep, considering that I need to be up in about 7 hours, but I just read some friends' blogs and wrote a couple e-mails and have some quick thoughts on my mind.

So, today I met with so dear friends who I haven't seen all summer and I also talked to a far away friend via facebook. Both blessed me tremendously, one because he listened (albeit via messages) and the other two because they cared. Interestingly all three are men, but men for whom I am extremely grateful.

Two of the guys shared about their lives and summers and upcoming things. One of them wants to get married and likes a girl, whom he's pursuing. The other also recently started "to get to know" a girl recently to see where things go. And I suppose because they are in love, or at least in the clouds of liking someone, they've decided to make my love life their business, which makes me feel loved and cared for (obviously in a platonic way).

Awww, I love good friends! And honestly I love having good guy friends, ones that you know where things stand, who love you and have your back, but also you know are just friends. One thing I've missed living here in Madrid are good guy friends. And up until now it seemed like often there was ambiguity or that awkward tension of both sides intentions. So this is nice, freeing. (Not to say by any means that I wouldn't like a guy that were more than friends, if he were the right guy that is.) (And while this only mentions three of these guys there are some others too here who have become good friends.)

That's it. I'm now babbling and making no sense, so off to sleep. Oh, and thanks far away friend and fun here friends!

i am blessed

So, after the posts yesterday, you would not believe the day i had today. God is so good and gracious. I calmed down a bit and, thanks to God's word, put things back into perspective.

Then tonight (or this afternoon for spain time, 8-10pm) a friend stopped by, a friend more of my roommate chery than of me, but still a good friend. He practically forced me to go out with them for tapas and drinks. I had planned to finished studying for my seminary class that I have to finish before the end of the year and which i've spent all day working on (basically non-stop), and planned on continuing. Well, she gave him his christmas present and then he convinced me to come with them just for a bit (which in my american mind was an hour, but in my spanish mind i knew it would at least be two and was). We walked a ways (which i love) to a fun little café with vermoth and then went to a place closeby with wine and tapas. We laughed a ton and juan, the friend's name, is just a great, comforable fully platonic person who warms your heart to be with. It is so refreshing and around these days it's nice to both be reminded of God's abundant and gracious care, as well as, being around friends who really care about you.

Beyond that my day has been full of studying and much more, but I've acomplished a great deal and am over halfway done with what i need to do. praise the Lord! As I was walking home with chery and juan, I thought, it is YOU, Lord, who has used this day to remind me of your intimate care for me. That while I don't have a husband or a man to care for me right now, the Lord is the best husband, the best lover I could ever have (not to say that takes away the desire to marry, have kids, etc.,) but it does put things back into perspective and remind me that, yes, I am abundantly blessed. T am the child of a king, a king who loves me as his precious child, a king who makes the impossible happen, a king and Lord I can trust. :-) merry almost christmas!!!

Oh, and here is a little excerpt from my studying. I'm taking a theology class on Christ, man, sin, and salvation. One of the things I most recently read about was what is meant in Genesis 1:26-27 when God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,... So he made man in his image, male and female he created them." (paraphrased) Anyway, there is a quote by C.S. Lewis that I love from his book, "The Weight of Glory." So, here you go:

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations --these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence, which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

Blessings & a Very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

It's SOOO nice

It's sooo nice to have some semblance of a team, to have others who are on board with my vision for reaching college students here with the Gospel and who are both fully capable and fully available to help.

Up until now I've been a bit cautious and haven't wanted to expect too much of them, in part for fear of being disappointed. Yet after our first two meetings of the year I am SOOO happy that we are all on the same page and I finally have some people with whom I can process & flesh out where we are going and how we are going to get there. And they are not just passive listeners, but active participants and co-laborers. Yippee!!! It is sooo nice. And it is much more easy to be motivated and to be excited about doing this together instead of always having to be self-motivated and know that most of the time I am headed toward a huge mountain. There are still a lot of areas where I'm not quite sure where the resources and people will come from, but at least there are some others with whom I can trust God for these giant things and who can remind me what is true. Thank God for my little, but very existent team this year. And, God-willing, there will be others (spaniards) who will join us in reaching the campus, madrid, spain, and the world with the powerful and freeing Gospel of Jesus.

Madrid - happy thoughts

so... this is somewhat random, or very random, but i just went to the post office to pick up a package (a couple books i had orders) and definitely had a spain moment. i walked out of the post office with my package in hand, heard a guy playing the accordian, noticed the tile on the sidewalk (completely normal here), felt a cool breeze, was headed to the metro and thought "gosh, i love my life. i love living here. it's fun even just to go to the post office." now i don't always feel that way (particularly since it can be a trek to get to the post office), but today all i saw were the things i love.

note: these are pictures of more or less where i was. the last one is where i go running, which is just around the corner (more or less) from the post office.