Yo blogging buddies… a quick check in. I’m in Riga for a few days now to “rest”… more on that later. Can’t stop long, million things to do, like finding/booking hostels for USA next week etc. One week to my birthday!
Latvia has been amazing so far and God keeps blowing my mind with more of his goodness.
With eyes on Jesus!
I leave bright and early for Latvia in the morning. Not sure what internet access or communication access is like, so if you don’t hear from me, don’t be offended!
Had an mazing few days hanging out with Reuben. Went for long walks in fancy gardens and along deserted beaches, climbed hills in the rain, prayed til we were knackered (had a major holy hangover on Thursday), played with sparklers… on and on the fun goes…
Here’s some photographic documentation…
The iPhone came out this weekend in America. Andrew has a good post here about why he wont be buying one. Very logical and well thought out… I still want one though!
“I have this hunger in me… everywhere I look, I see the evidence of a Creator. But I don’t see it as religion, which has cut my people in two. I don’t see Jesus Christ as being any part of a religion. Religion to me is almost like when God leaves – and people devise a set of rules to fill the space.”
[Bono]
I leave early tomorrow morning on the first of my trips of the summer. I’m heading up to stay at Reubens place, near Aberdeen, for a few days. Looking forward to having a few days to rest and prepare for Latvia. I will also be in Glasgow on Friday to end my photography exhibition, (re)present. It’s been a fun experiment, and I’ve learnt a lot. Catch ya in a few days… I need to go to bed, need to be up at 5am!
Foy’s single, Be With Me, is released today… go buy it! His new album is released on July 2nd, titled Hope, and let me tell you… it is well worth buying! I managed to get my hands on an early copy (thanks Foy!), and it has got some superb tunes on it. The single “Be With Me” and “Two Shades Of Love” are my favourite tracks so far.
You can buy the single on iTunes or pre-order the album from Townsend Records.
Isaiah 58 is a passage I am constantly challenged by. I read it again yesterday and was challenged by verses 6-9 especially. I wonder, could this be used in relation to tithing/giving as well?
This is what poured out when I started writing what I was thinking…
“I dont want your tithes if all you’re going to do with them is build bigger offices and install new stained glass windows. What I want is justice – buy the big issue seller lunch, give the homeless guy your spare bed for a week (and maybe longer afterwards). Give away your extra 2 coats. Sell the 4th TV in your house and use it to give someone a Christmas present.
Then you’ll find that I’ve been close all along. I’ve never been away, you just haven’t seen me because I’ve been in disguise, and you never noticed the homeless bum I was.”
“Go after the people nobody wants and I’ll give you the people everybody wants.”
This is the thing that the LA Dream Center felt God press deep onto their hearts. Love this vision… maybe because I feel myself pulled towards the nobodies so much, which can be a difficult/painful/lonely experience.
HT: Mark
Last week (while my net was down) I was reading through the book of Daniel. I find it really helpful to write up some thoughts on things that I’ve learnt – it helps me to distill what I’ve been learning and need to remember and keep working on.
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
[Daniel 3:16-18]
I love the almost of reckless abandon and faith Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego show here. Despite that, I can’t help but wonder… where is Daniel? Less than a chapter ago, king Nebuchadnezzar fell at Daniels feet in worship, and declared his (Daniels) God, YHWY, to be THE God. Seven verses later Nebuchadnezzar has the whole peoples bowing down to worship a 90-feet tall golden statue.
Sorry… huh?!? Did you catch that? In seven verses we go from declaring YHWH to be the greatest God, to worshiping a big hunk of metal.
In between these two events, the king made Daniel ruler over all of Babylon. This is the context we are in leading up to this verse.
YHWH acknowledged as greatest.
Daniel made ruler.
Everyone worshiping a gold statue.
In step Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, threatened with being thrown into a blazing furnace.
Their courage and tenacity inspire me to strive for more in my life. I do not have to live the way the world lives. I do not have to value the things the world values. I do not have to spend all my time, money, and effort striving after the elusive “American dream” (UK dream).
I am free to chase after God.
“Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
[Psalm 24:6]
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