Mood: disoriented
Listening to: Angels & Airwaves
Reading: The Secret Message of Jesus - Brian McLaren
Watching: V For Vendetta

whoa. the changes DA has made are wickedly crazy. and i think i like it. although it will definitely have to take some time to get used to!

so alright - check out the scraps section if you're interested - i have uploaded a picture and the story of my latest 6 stitches + 1 scar.

just for the record about fly fishing: 53* water = freezing. 1 trout = great day for the fish, bad day for me. 8 guys = still a great time!

it was a fun bachelor party, really - but still, catching 1 trout when everyone else caught like 8-10 was a little crazy - oh well...snapped a couple of great captures, will upload those shortly.

live out loud,

justin

Mood: so-so
Listening to: Keane: Under The Iron Sea
Reading: The Secret Message of Jesus - Brian McLaren
Watching: V For Vendetta

just as a sidenote: v for vendetta was great. well, not great like great, but great as regards causing one to think deeper, richer thoughts about morals, politics, etc.

at any rate...

i am leaving for a weekend of fly fishing for a buddie's bachelor party deal.

never been one to fly fish. but hey - at least we'll be outdoors, in a beautiful river...that surely does sound appealing to me right now.

hope the fortune is good.

back in a while!

justin

Mood: tired, but good
Listening to: Collision B
Reading: The Secret Message of Jesus - Brian McLaren
Watching: The fan go round and round

Just returned from Saint Louis, MO. We travelled north to that city for camp/missions this past week.

It was amazing. God continues to reveal Himself to our youth ministry and they/we continue to follow hard after Him.

The children, people, and communities that we got to serve this past week really influenced all of us. It reminds me that that so many souls are in need of so much love.

The children were begging for attention. They just wanted to jump rope with you, use the camera to take a picture, have you show them how to swing a bat - they didn't much care - so long as it was with you.

I have been a part of several other mission experiences, but this one was really great.

We'll see if I don't get some more photos up as well...so many to walk through.

Off to sleep now. So tired - exhausted. But it was certainly worth it...

Oh - and I walked away with six stitches - remind me to post a picture and an explanation about that ; )

good night

Mood: thankful
Listening to: rain drops
Reading: The Secret Message of Jesus - Brian McLaren
Watching: World Cup

it is God's dream that we would be gift givers. in fact, we might say that the world is a nightmare when everyone is taking for themselves and giving nothing in return.

gift givers are all around. not even always xians. i would hope that all xians were givers, but some choose to rebel and fight their new desire to give. after all, it's not always easy. but there are definitely givers hidden all over, like treasure...

to whoever gave me a recent gift, of which, i have no idea: thank you.

post-script. we also need to be joyful receivers. i am joyful!! haha

i've come across a simplicity in life. the skies. beauty seems to engulf them, or perhaps it is the other way around.

open up the skies of mercy
and rain down a cleansing flood
healing waters, rise around us
hear our cries Lord
let 'em rise

"God has raised this Jesus to life..." acts two:thirty.two

the skies are open because he lives. beauty is known anew because he lives. we are made whole because he lives. a cleansing flood can wash us clean because he lives. he hears our cries because he lives.

because he lives.