sister(s)

I said Sister, here is what I know now
Here is what I know now
Goes like this..
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, my salvation lies
In your love, in your love, in your love"
-ALEXI MURDOCH
 
There are certain points in our lives where we feel old, or just older, as if our biological age was not a reality and all the people around us would stay the same age forever.  There are certain milestones, regarding age, where you just go, "whew" and wonder where you had been for all the time leading up to this said milestone.  One of those is for your little sister to go off to college. 
  Even though I just graduated college, I still haven't felt like my sister is getting much older.  I must be careful here, that is, not to say that she hasn't matured and showed signs of moving into a new phase of life, but sometimes you spend so much time watching the snowflakes, you end up confused by the new foot of fresh powder under your foot.  There have been two main experiences that have really allowed me to realize my sister's age, and also get excited knowing she is ready for the new challenge of college.  The first was her singing in a musical with her school (i had never even heard her sing, no joke) and the second was her going out to Kansas City for the Skills USA competition (yeah bronze medal!).  These experiences, along with many others, are aligning her up with a beautiful end to the chapter that is high school and I Hope she is as thrilled for WSC, as she has come so far,  and with so much good and beauty to come!
  I also want to share about two other special sisters attempting to move mountains in their new adventures...
First off, my friend and sister for over three quarters of my life is heading off on a world wide missions trip called "World Race" no, not the amazing race.  I will let you read about it here and support her too:
Ash WORLD RACE
I Have known Ashley for a long time, and she is a beautiful image of Hope and truth.  She believes, she works hard and she is SO thrilled to take all of her gifts straight to the peoples around the world who need it most, I cannot wait to hear about and pray for her journey- and the journey of all those helped and helping!
  Finally I have this other sister.  Now she also has a brother, just like Ash and just like my sister and I, but he's a good guy, so I think he'd be OK if I was in the fam.  This girl is also venturing forth into a new land, this time, not in a world race, but to study and learn.  She is going to do great, and Love well, but I can understand why she is nervous.  It just occurred to me how we have such similar hearts!  But fear is not the heart of love, and just as this girl inspires and surprises me every time we get to talk, she will triumph and take in every detail of this beautiful trip.  Remember Jeanne Clark, perfect Love drowns out fear; may it find you well.
  I always wish I had a brother.  I always wished time would stop and we could start it up again when we were ready.  Well, neither of these are an option.  Yet I am one of the happiest and most blessed people in the world, and it is in a large part due to the hearts and Hopes of my sisters, biological or otherwise.

May God guide you on the straight and narrow,
and may the light each one of you share and carry so, so well,
guide you into and over whatever this new season brings.

Love, in Hope and in gratitude,

Bud, B2, Brandon

Listen:
Switchfoot- Hello Hurricane (you CAN'T silence my Love)

small glimpses and a heart of service

For those of you who don't know, I just completed an 8.5 week summer position with Plustime new Hampshire for Americorps.  I have worked at the previously location, but working under the Americorps banner created a twist to an already interesting experience.  Needless to say, this summer has been tough.  I have worked very hard, for very little, it has been tough having many bosses (too much confusion) and add to that the financial strain of working in a professional volunteer position and my own health struggles.  But even as I write this, I feel a sense of thankfulness.  I was given the opportunity to serve and I was able to do this, no matter how bruised and battered at the finish line.
  Some days, of course, were harder than others.  Some days the kids behaved, some days they didn't, still other days it rained, and others we splashed; all day.  That is the natural progression of life, this is the good and the bad, the tough and the true, all around us, in particular, to those places where light doesn't seem to shine quite as much.  The kids I work with have tough many of them.  And to make some impact, what ever it is, is to move a mountain.  To see a smile in days of frowns and downcast eyes, means a lot.  To make a new friend.  Small glimpses.
  I know some friends who have had struggles this summer, haven't we all?  For me the work I did and the struggles I encountered were new and maybe even more difficult then any in the past.  Yet I was reminded of those who are MUCH less fortunate in other countries and I had a multitude of reasons to keep my heart soft.  I thought of the many who are still controlled by corrupt governments and those who work jobs that don't even pay a wage to sustain one person, much less a whole family.  I thought about kids who had to sneak to school and Hope to not get caught in violence or worse.  But mostly I thought of the little things that make life so spectacular, the things that make it worth it.  Sometimes, when we are tired or really taken advantage of, or even in a bout of depression or grief it is nearly impossible to see anything good or worthwhile.  Yet we must, even if it is small. 
  This world is not even, or fair.  Sometimes it doesn't even make sense.  Some work a ten hour day and make $2.  Some people spend their life chasing a goal and right before they reach it, they lose everything to sickness or a thief.  Sometimes we only have one reason, one second during the course of a day with which to crack a smile.  We must not let these moments go to waste!  For where there is one, there can be another also.  Where there is three, why not twelve.  Life is made of of tiny pieces.  Eventually they will come together for good.  Someday, one day, we could live to see a completely different side of life and people.  One day we could spend all our time searching for a reason to not be happy.  Salvation is here, and there is beauty and Hope  in all, if we are just patient enough to find it, or let it find us.   

listen:
John Mark Mcmillan- Death in his grave

Book Review: Love & War

 

To go forward we must first go back.  A Number of months ago John and Stasi Eldredge, some of my favorite Christian authors put out a new book.  It happened to be a marriage book, called Love and War.  I was excited for the book, but quickly realized I was neither married nor did I have the extra funds to be a book to stick on the shelf and read at a time that was more applicable then when I was a single young man with a few part-time jobs.  But low and behold, Ransomed Heart ministries was offering the first 200 copies to those who would review the book on their blog.  I figured, I had a blog, it was worth a shot.  Here is my end of the bargain!
  Although I concluded the book approximately a month and a half ago, I am finally ready to give this review thing a GO.  I am particularly excited to review the book for many reasons, but particularly because I have quoted the book many times over the last few days.  Ever since I finished school, I have had a lot of extra time (normally spent doing homework) thinking about and pondering love and marriage in particular.  It is interesting to first note the title.  This is a marriage book, not a movie title or a lesson in battlefield relationships or a fictional drama; this is a marriage book. Yet the two seemingly contradictory words that make up the title are fitting, as the authors unveil over the course of the book.  This is Love, in the romantic and relational sense, and yet it is a war, a battlefield, a great fight.  Why do we so seldom see it this way?
  I Love the intro to this book.  The intro cuts from an actual wedding ceremony (with John performing the service) to the thoughts and ideas of onlookers and the narration of the authors.  You are immediately captivated and you feel part of the story; and of course, you desire this for yourself, or rather, you enter yourself into the equation with your own "dearly beloved."  I also enjoy how John and Stasi describe things in terms of the epic and extraordinary importance of the stories we all have and share, in this particular example, within the context of marriage.  The story of marriage is that special.
  Each chapter is wittingly titled, speaking on everything from a new roommate, to a shared adventure to, (gulp) even a chapter on sex!  But each chapter does a good job summarizing the themes and presenting proof for said ideas in a Christian sense.  I think the most important aspects covered include spiritual warfare and the importance of couples praying with one another, for these are often topics that are difficult to speak about and even more difficult to apply to couples lives.   
  The final chapter sums up the entire book well, and is aptly titled, "Learning to Love".  This chapter is neat because much of the chapter is applicable to all of life.  Is this not the aim of all? Yet learning to Love in a marriage sense is even more profound and delicate.  The chapter speaks on choices, sacrifice, and forgiveness, and continually refers back to the reason and source for it all; to God.  John and Stasi are so good at using quotes from others (C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald in particular) to bring home their point.  They also include daily prayers on marriage and sexual healing which are particularly important in this capacity.
 The only aspect of this book I did not care for was the details that we're shared.  Sometimes both John and Stasi reveal a little too much in a relation to their own personal experience.  hence the subtitle of "taboo topics".  Some things must be revealed, but the depth of their details may take away from the actual message being presented.  Real world examples are good, but sometimes a little too much just causes a whole lot of confusion for the reader.
  All in all, this is the first marriage book I have read.  But, having read a number of John and Stasi's books, I believe they have a good idea on the subjects they speak and they always remind us of the core of what we are searching for.  In this case, we are looking for Love.
Then again, is that not what we are always seeking?
Love really is a war, yes, even Love in the romantic sense.  But over and over it is confirmed, that it is worth it, and God is for it.  May John and Stasi continue to be great vessels of that Love, of that co-mission-  I just Hope I should be so blessed to have such an opportunity

"It does not come easy.  Falling in Love is how God gives us a push in the right direction.  But then we have to choose...
When we abandon ourselves to Love, we find ourselves closer to the one who is always doing that himself.  We find ourselves closer to God." -John and Stasi Eldredge


Listen:
Brandon Heath- Love never Fails

alex

I was in need of an adventure, in need of a break.
This week offers some alternatives to work (see conference) and a concert with some of my favorite people (and I am not even talking about the bands) before the bump and grind commences on Thursday... and I couldn't be more thrilled at the timing.  Just a couple weeks left for my Americorps post!
So staying local but trying something completely new and intriguing was the theme of today.  After skipping out on Fridays race due to an injury today was meant to be a get away into the woods and some light hiking to limber up and rest my tired body and mind.  Sitting down after the days adventures, "rest" or "light" was no longer in the books as words to capture the day.  But rather the day was summarized by "adventure" and "encounter".  After speed hiking about a quarter of Kearsarge's hidden gem, the Lincoln trail, I spotted another hiker just above me on the ridge, moving slowly but confidently.  Just as I caught up with him, we reached the top of this hill and the trail entered an exposed section with full sunlight. We exchanged greetings and shook hands and i quickly moved forward.  But he was not in the rear-view.  Oh no, rather he was was literally breathing on me and quickly asked if he could get by.  After he moved by I quickened my pace and decided to follow.  The encounter quickly turned to conversation, which led to questions, which further turned to the great tradition of hiker's sharing stories, sharing life;
and Alex, as I later found his name to be,
had stories, upon stories,
adventures, upon adventures.

This man had been places.

Among those mentioned were Warner, NH (of course), Argentina, Peru, Patagonia, Norway, and his current place of work, the Atlantic sea.  That's right, Alex is a lobsterman.  Tried and true, strong and adventurous.
All of a sudden, the quiet Sunday hike turned into something more.
A shared adventure,
a comparing of stories,
a companion for the ride.
After a conversation with another Colby-Sawyer friend at the top (Ricky), it was time to descend;
for myself back down Lincoln, for Alex, down the access road and over off into the dirt of one of NH's many class 6 roads and eventually back to the place where he would spend the night and prepare to go back out on the boat the following day.
This encounter has done more for my spirits and energy then I can even explain,
and it taught me a few important lessons that I believe to be universal to all-
That perhaps it is not about the speed or the distance, but rather the adventure itself,
That perhaps the work we do is only done to earn the means by which to pursue our true passions,
That perhaps each person's story, even our own, has the capacity to be marvelous and exhilarating,
That perhaps each one of us has a mission, a great task, and it likely involves helping another, perhaps some person or group of people that have otherwise been ignored...
 
So as for when we depart our homes in the morning, looking for a break and an adventure,
Let us leave with soft hearts and open minds,
for we never know who we'll meet, but,
you can rest assured,
that the craziness and seemingly random connections and correspondences along the journey of life are somehow weaved together to form extraordinary stories;
Would that we can share these stories often,
and play our part well.

"I watched the changes
(I watched the changes)
through your eyes
like a movie of my life"  

Listen:

As Tall As Lions- "if I'm not out burning bridges, I'm buying more matches"

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