Remember

sometimes the simple things in life hold the most joy

a late summer mix of sorts

Sitting at Cafe Europa I popped in the earbuds and opened iTunes. Feeling indecisive and knowing I had stuff to get done, I hit the shuffle button and go to work. Watching people pass on bikes and walking dogs enjoying the thick last remnants of this summer evening this almost seemed like the perfect playlist to pair with the last post. Click on the links and it will take you to box.net where you can download them.

A Late Summer Playlist of Sorts...

Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down- Swimming Pools (Live from WYOX.com)

Anathallo-Italo

Damien Jurado-Tether

Billy Bragg and Wilco- Hoodoo Voodoo

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss- Killing the Blues

Radiohead- Let Down

The Beatles- Birthday

Rosie Thomas- Farewell

Explosions in the Sky- What Do You Go Home To?

Iron & Wine- Love Vigilantes

Death Cab for Cutie- No Sunlight

David Byrne and Dirty Projectors- Knotty Pine

We Wouldn't Be We

                                             

I came across this poem today and forgot how much i love e.e. cummings...how beautiful everything must have seemed from this man's eyes. It is late August and I always wonder how this comes to be: us who love summer and have longed for it's arrival so badly in the bone chilling days of winter are now looking forward to the cool of autumn. This is amazingly the human condition. The grass is continually greener on the other side, even if in our recent memory we had paced those emerald yards without content. When it's cold we long for the hot. When we are old we long to be younger. When we live in the city we long for the country. We can always be richer yet life can always be simpler. Contentment is something that is a learned life habit. It is nothing one is graced with. It begins with thankfulness: the ability to look around yourself and be utterly grateful...even in great hardship. This is a class in which I may always be a pupil. This is something that would change every area of my life if i could ever really grasp it. Will I ever really grasp it?

If by: e.e. cummings

If freckles were lovely, and day was night,  And measles were nice and a lie warn't a lie,  Life would be delight,--  But things couldn't go right  For in such a sad plight  I wouldn't be I. If earth was heaven and now was hence,  And past was present, and false was true,  There might be some sense  But I'd be in suspense  For on such a pretense  You wouldn't be you. If fear was plucky, and globes were square,  And dirt was cleanly and tears were glee  Things would seem fair,--  Yet they'd all despair,  For if here was there  We wouldn't be we.

Growing Food, Growing Hope

In today's post I want to make a plug for this awesome organization my friend John works for in Southern Ohio. Are you a gardener? Have you ever wanted to start a community garden? Check these guys out . They are doing some amazing things : growing food and growing hope.

growfoodgrowhope.com

thanks for all the ad clicks guys, keep them coming. Even five minutes of your time is a great help. Thank you all.

the hot days of summer

with summer in full force i thought i'd post a bit of water fun. here it goes...

here is a free offering of some fresh music for your ears. if you like me get bored with your music collection this little sample should spice things up...http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106427862

summer update

Below is my summer update I posted a few weeks ago on my .mac account. This should hopefully get everyone up to speed. Hope you all are having an awesome summer.   

 Summer is in full force here at YWAM Denver and we are in full swing with our summer schools. This summer we are running a Camp the Rockies DTS with an outreach to Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Germany as well as a SBF core course.  We also currently have two outreaches on the road from our spring schools. There is one in Costa Rica and an Around the World team currently in Rio, Brazil. These teams have had some amazing times being Jesus to the least the last and the lost. The Costa Rica team is working with local churches in nearby communities doing relief work from the hurricane that hit there a year ago. They are also getting times to give testimonies and dramas in the neighborhoods. The team in Mozambique is working in the poorest trash village in Mozambique and are working side by side with a team from Bethel University there. 

    This summer I am continuing my role as the events coordinator at the base as well as developing a curriculum for a school running in the fall called a School of Social Justice. In this school we tackle what is God’s heart for justice in areas such as AIDS/HIV, urban injustice, human trafficking, water relief, refugees, etc. This school will have required internships as follow up in San Francisco, Thailand, and South Africa. ( If these subjects spark an interest in you and you would like to learn more about them I highly suggest checking out the book “ Quest for Hope in the Slum Community” by: Scott Bessenecker). Monday nights I have had the opportunity of leading our local outreach to a state run home for those with permanent mental and physical disabilities. In my next update I will share more about this ministry and some of the stories of the people we work with there. I can just say this. These men and women are some of the sweetest most amazing forgotten about people one could ever know.As many of you know I have been going to the Arvada Vineyard while out here. Our small group has had the cool oportunity of working with the Karin refugees (burmese) in denver. Each small group "adopts" a family and helps them get acclimated. We take them grocery shopping, teach them the bus system in denver, take their kids to school for the first time, etc. It has been a very neat experience. As you can see the summer has been jam packed with activity. Thank you all for all of your love and support. I couldn't do it without you all.

       Prayer Requests:

our outreaches ( please pray for health, safety, and unity for all these guys and girls)

Chris and Norma Black ( the leaders of the Bosnia team as Norma is continuing a very long and painful treatment for her hip)

 Finances. I am still in need of about 250$ a month in support to consistently pay my bills. Please Pray that God would put on individuals, churches, small groups etc. to give. 

    

hey all

if you got my email and are visiting this site. Thank you so much. in the next 48hours ads will show up. every time you click on one you are helping me out. thanks guys!