green.lake.ness.

getting ready to fly.

hey world. hey wind. thanks for keeping me in balance on the backboard of this old bench.

!anita volante!

sisterness.

huggyness. and leg.popping.LOVE ^_^

and the soundtrack to my wonderful fall weekend:

Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken - Ampersand EP [thanks to Amy];
The Weepies - Happiness [also thanks to Amy.love];
Sara Groves - Add to the Beauty;
Alison Krauss - Forget About It;
Coldplay - Viva La Vida [thanks to Rev. Ryan];
a CD of hymns recorded in chill-inducingly-beautiful choral arrangements [also thanks to Ryan];
the whipping, whistling wind of Wisconsin;

and some fantastic live raise-your-hands-say-amen songs of praise in many multicultural styles, flavors, and languages, led by the music team at a conference for a deliciously diverse group of new ABC pastors and seminary students that i snuck into because my mother is one of the latter and their morning meetings were open and ended up opening me to this lovely.messy.goodness of worship in spirit and in truth. aMEN and alleluia-honk-your-horn!

plus the sound of tears, of smiles, lots of laughter, besos, y abrazos. el sonido del amor de Dios, de familia y amigos. de la paz. finalmente. yes. peace.

waiting.in.the.wings.

sitting on the sidelines.slash.in my saved drafts folder, i have about 4 different posts started but not yet publishing-ready. this is my problem. unfinished thoughts. or maybe my blessing in disguise, of always being in process of thinking about things. oh well. somehow i'll get over it soon so i can actually put some scraps of something out here.

for now, a few thought-threads i've been reading from someone much smarter.older.wiser than me:

"Over the centuries the Church has done enough to make any critical person want to leave it. Its history of violent crusades, pogroms, power struggles, oppression, excommunications, executions, manipulation of people and ideas, and constantly recurring divisions is there for everyone to see and be appalled by.
Can we believe that this is the same Church that carries in its center the Word of God and the sacraments of God's healing love? Can we trust that in the midst of all its human brokenness the Church presents the broken body of Christ to the world as food for eternal life? Can we acknowledge that where sin is abundant grace is superabundant, and that where promises are broken over and over again God's promise stands unshaken? To believe is to answer yes to these questions.
As Jesus was one human person among many, the Church is one organization among many. And just as there may have been people with more attractive appearances than Jesus, there may be many organizations that are a lot better run than the Church. But Jesus is the Christ appearing among us to reveal God's love, and the Church is his people called together to make his presence visible in today's world.
Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met him many years ago? Are we able to recognize him today in his body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we will see the glory of God."

- Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey

blessed be the journey today. go.fly.flapyourwings.be.free.to live his love.

everything.must.change.

in light of...Brian McLaren's book "Everything Must Change", which is the textbook for my favorite class this semester. which is International Social Work. but i'm also learning a ton in my TESOL class, and in Historic Christian Belief, and in History and Geography of South and Southeast Asia. plus chapel messages and other random books and articles i stumble across. and there are so many ideas to process. and i don't want to just hear them and not share them or put them into practice.

in light of...the fact that this is the final fall semester of my senior year. i've still got j-term and spring. but still, these months are filled with lots of 'lasts'. and maybe some firsts. and a lot of questions about the future. and a lot of diverse experiences still to surprise me and change me along the way. and i don't want to miss them by not fully living and reflecting on them.

in light of...the ghosts of my past and present, the music that plays in my space and the places and faces that flicker across my computer screensaver in absolute scatterment and randomness: india.thailand.ecuador.bahamas.hungary.greece.amsterdam.wisconsin.pennsylvania.indiana.

in light of...the fact that i'm pretty good at brainstorming and beginning these kinds of creative, contemplative ventures, but not very good at following through with them consistently. but maybe that.must.change.

in light of...faith.
in light of hope.
in light of love.

in light of joy, and in light of suffering and sorrow.
in light of peace. wholeness. completeness. and all the questions of how to be and become...

en la luz de salaam.shanti.shalom.mshvidoba.amaithi.amani.friede.mir.paz.

...hola, blogspot and friends.