Good morning! I started reading a new book over the weekend. Oh goodness, it's a fabulous one. Hits deep. It's by Eugene Peterson (yep, the author/translator of the Message). I'm always so thankful for book recommendations. I hate taking time to find books but I love when good ones are just placed in front of my nose (bluntly put, I'm lazy in this area). I have a couple friends who tell me about the best books. This one is from my dad. It starts out with a striking poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins who was my favorite poet in high school. He was my first introduction to a poet madly in love with alliteration, the poems hopping with tension. Here's the lovely example:

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow strung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves - goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is -
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.

The book concentrates on the living out of our theology which he calls "spiritual theology"... That the two words cannot be separated without being at an imbalance. Oh and yes, the book is naturally called, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. It was cheap on bol.com (if you're in the Netherlands), otherwise I'm sure you can get it for next to nothing in the US. Well, there you have it, my plug for the day!

I'm now off to prepare for my first teaching in dutch (eeek!) on prayer. I'm preparing in English then will translate it to dutch, I may figure out mid way that I'm doing double work. We'll see, I'm sure the next time will be easier. Ideas/tips are welcome! Which reminds me I also need to buy a Bible in dutch, so I'll stop by the bookstore as well. I keep misplacing the ones I thought I had. Then my day will hopefully finish with some mad quick graphic design skillzzz which will inshallah (God willing), produce a sign/banner of sorts for the entrance to our "non church" looking church door this Sunday. Here we go!

I got my hair cut today. It was a fun experience. Went to Kinki Kapers in Utrecht. Trained down with lovely Allie. We stepped in to this raging energy filled space with hairdressers snipping madly away. Felice, my new favorite person was there to great us. She's been cutting hair for just under a year and is freaking amazing. A total gift and finally a hairstylist that's got "the gift." She takes a really long time but the result is fabulously smooth and light (which is a good thing for my hefty mane) but it means we have longer to talk. And talk and talk we did, all in dutch of course, which I always am pleasantly surprised when people do speak dutch with me, since often their English is so perfect. It's one of my favorite things. Even when I ask for clarification, it's in dutch! Thank you God for Felice.

I love when life tasks overlap... need a haircut since it's been 6 months and need to practice dutch and it's always good to meet new people and even bump in to another friend and connect with her... oh the overlap is a sweet thing! By the time we made it back it was late and time to catch a few maddeningly amazing Lost episodes with friends.

Tomorrow I have letters to sign, a teaching to write, my thoughts to process, and some new and old friends to see. It will be a good day I'm sure.

My thoughts today have wandered to Martin Luther King Jr. and the annual remembrance and celebration that goes on back home on this day. And I got to thinking about the MLKs all over the world who work for justice and seek peace. And that these regular people like my friend Sarah who helps women in India who are coming out of prostitution by providing them with an income (making beautiful blankets out of recycled sari material) are full of the grace and love of Jesus. That's who Jesus was, a radical justice seeker who gave his life to put the world to right. And now we're a part of that time line, seeing the "right" being worked out and waiting for the full "right" to come. And I pray for justice soon, for real hope people can taste, for a future for Haiti, for the people there who have sustained years and years of kicking while they're down. Oh God, keep us full of hope and keep us with our eyes stuck on you. And help me to be that kind of person here in Amsterdam. Let me be a hope broker as Carl Medearis once said he was when asked what his profession was. I want to be a broker of hope, we're called to be brokers of hope.

Here are some happy pictures I'd forgotten about and thought I'd share... they all have stories attached but for now you get just the picture and a blurb. Life has been a bit hectic, I hope to get back to some actual writing and musing soon.


gathering with new/old friends. this was a really good night.

when the snow came to stay a while! we've had a couple more dumpings of snow since this first snowfall. it's been magical and deeply silent.

allie playing in the snow. it was really sticky snow!

alessandra, mahawa, and i lovin' on eachother.

new year's day came with a swim in the north sea. it was sooo cold and glorious! i'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I hopped home for Christmas to see my family and say "see you soon" to my brother and sister in law who are moving to Switzerland. I'm so excited to have them closer. It was such a treat to all be under one roof together again. It's been many years. I haven't been back to Columbus for over a year so I wondered what I would feel/think. And surprisingly it felt just as much home as ever and I realized that instead of gaining a home and losing another I just feel at home in two places. Now that's something I can live with!