The pilgrim has moved...go figure

But you can find her at this address:

http://jdpilgrim.wordpress.com/

My new place is still in disarray but I'm working on it.

Sufjan

To use the word "amazing" to describe the concert last night does not do Sufjan Stevens justice. Amazing is just a sad, sad little word compared to what I heard and experienced. I would freeze my keister off again in a heartbeat for another chance to listen to him live.

A long road back to remembering the good

I was reading the end of John this morning. Jesus tells Peter that he is going to die for him, but in a way that doesn't conjure up anything desirable or easy, like you know, dying in your sleep. Nothing quick and easy. Poor Peter, Jesus was always telling him the cold hard truth. Then Peter (like most people) points to John and says, "What about him?" And Jesus replies, "What is it to you? Follow Me." Nice Jesus, soften the blow for Peter.

It would be easy for Peter to become bitter, or be distracted with comparing his path to John's path in life. I keep coming back to this passage, and identify how Peter must have felt. In my own life, I think, "why is my path look so different than so many of my friends? Why did you choose this for me Jesus? Are you sure you know what you are doing? There is a disconnect here, I don't understand what You are doing!!!"

- "If I have X, Y, and Z for your friends, but something different for you right now, what is that to you? Follow Me."

My response at times is bitterness, but I find when I keep allowing myself, even a tinge of it, I lose sight of the vision, and I become cynical, and my trust is diminished significantly, in God, in the Church, in people. Better remember what it tastes like... to know that God is good. That He is forever faithful, forever just, forever loving. Because you keep taking in that bitter drink, you will forget what those good things taste like, look like, and it can be a long road back....

Josef Tson

A good friend of mine sent me this link:

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=516

Sermons by a man, Josef Tson, who suffered persecution in Communist Romania. The messages speak about how persecution and martyrdom ultimately prepares the way for the church to spread the gospel.

My first all night stake out for concert tickets

My friend Abby and I were going to go down to the Kennedy Center this morning very early to stand in line for Sufjan Stevens tickets, which were completely free - but only if you were the first 1000 people to be in line. So we were watching the second season of The Office last night, when Abby's sister called us to say she was driving by and saw tents already popping up and curling around the center. OH MY. The threat of not getting there in time was clearly an issue, and what would any two reasonable young women/Sufjan enthusiasts do but go pack up a tent and sleeping bag and camp out!!!!

So...Abby and I got all the basics and drove down to find our place in line. The first guy in line had been there since Friday morning - clearly a die hard Sufjan fan, and a college student who had nothing better to do.

The end of the line was not too bad, and so around 11 pm, we pitched our tent to brave the elements. We spoke of Sufjan and that we needed to stay focus on how great the concert would be. We were serenaded by our next door neighbor, a group of guys with a ukulele, a harmonica and a pretty good sense of rhythm.










Of course I had to go use the bathroom several times throughout the night. The security guard was letting people in several individuals at a time, which was sad considering there were about 20 people in line and my basic needs were not being met and they were INCREDIBLY URGENT. And then people were cutting in line which emboldened many to threaten violence.

So did i mention it was really cold??? This was interesting watching others figure out ways to stay warm - some were running around The Kennedy Center, i saw a few people on a tandem bike. There was an intense game of ultimate frisbee going on. And all at 2 in the morning!!! Abby and I passed the time people watching and telling old camping stories and laughing alot when we tried to stumble out of the tent. It's hard to get out of a tent when you can't feel your legs.









8 45 am - We begin to move towards the Kennedy Center in line while madly stuffing our tent in a bag that was way too small.... but things were looking up!!! People around us who had made the sacrifice to come out here in the frigid cold starting to realize that the sacrifice was about to bear some amazing fruit, like some very amazing tickets... In fact, this guy who finally received his tickets, was jumping up and down and screaming, "This is so worth it - Sufjan you are so worth it!!!"

Wow. Well i have to say i am glad i stuck it out in the winter cold for Sufjan and Abby and really to have the experience. We listened to the Michigan album on the way home and knew it would be even better next Monday live...

Glorious

Yesterday, towards the end of the day, the sky darkened, and from the sky - huge white flakes floated down - my coworkers turned the lights out and watched as everything seemed to slow down and become quiet. There really is a glory to a snowfall - the uniqueness of each flake to how it can be so peaceful and beautiful.

On the way home I worshipped.

Everything Glorious (David Crowder)

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than it's hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

My eyes are small but they have seen
The beauty of enormous things
Which leads me to believe
There's light enough to see that

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
And I am Yours

From glory to glory
You are glorious
You are glorious
From glory to glory

You are glorious

Denial means wearing t-shirts in 35 degree weather

I am psyching myself up to stand in the cold Saturday morning for concert tickets. The cold and I are not on good terms. In fact, I was hoping against hope that it would make a few appearances this winter and it would just go away.

The cold is mocking me.

Yet, I cling to hope and therefore keep out short sleeved shirts, and walk really fast from building to building.

History belongs to the intercessor

At the beginning of this year, I have been drawing nearer to this desire (that comes and goes) to pray. Food has lost it's flavor. Fellowship with others is not fulfilling.Television, movies are distractions that have lost all its power to distract. Nothing is satisfying me, and I think the next few months are going to be interesting.

Every time I look at the NY Times, and I have to see the face of one more person in Iraq grieving over another loved one, my heart just sinks further into a hopeless abyss. It's not really about if we were right or not to go in to Iraq, what burdens me is that death has literally wrapped itself around the region and does not want to let
go.

God once said He was looking for one person to stand in the gap for the land.

I have also been thinking alot about power and authority. God did not take away Satan's power at Calvary, but He did take back authority that was taken from us. I forget that when I come to speak on behalf of friends that are dead in the spiritual sense, on regions of the world that are in turmoil, or our own broken soil, I am coming with the authority Jesus gave me when He shed His blood.

The church, the "ekklesia" are the called out ones.

But we are not just the called out ones. In the New Testament, when Jesus speaks in Matt 16:18-19: I also to say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hell will not overpower it. The word, "church" is the greek word Ekklesia. I was reading a book this week that explains that Greeks in Christ's day used the word ekklesia, and it meant an assembly of people set apart to govern the affairs of a state or nation - in essence, a parliment or congress. The Romans used the word as a group of people sent into a conquered region to alter the culture.

Make no mistake about it - Christ did not intend for His church to be merely different but to make a difference.

As the called out ones - we are called to stand in the gap for our culture, our world. I am not going to just sit there and let it die, but be a catalyst, and use the authority God has given me to do this....to declare that the Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord.

First Snow

I woke up from a very long nap today and realized that everything was covered in this white stuff, that people from Southern Texas learn in textbooks as snow.

No girliness here

Last Sunday, my roomate and I were driving home from church. I look over at her, "Jadine - Am I abnormal for a girl?"

"NO!!!" She laughs.

I was alluding to the worship service in which a comment that the guest pastor made about the women in the congregation. He basically made a generalization about how women were looking for men to marry that would provide them with A and B and C; mostly they were materialistic objectives. Alot of women in our church apprarently was really identifying with his comment. Part of me was a bit horrified. Sometimes i feel like i am on the fringe of womendome, or at least in regards to what women talk about and dare i say it care about????

Because let's be honest. I don't like to go shopping. Decorating sounds about as exciting as pulling my toe nails out. I have no furniture. My most precious possessions are my journals, my pictures, and my mac. probably in that order.

i like cold pizza... I was in the NCAA pool with the guys at Deidrichs last Spring.

What I am trying to say is that I'm not very girly.

With the exception of really loving babies.

A guy friend told me once, that I was just the right amount of girl. This is reassuring, because of the source, but i probably should just be assuring myself that i am this way for a reason. It's not better or worse, and being someone i'm not will definitely prove to be more frustrating, than being a little different.

In the Socialist State of Maryland

They tax you to breathe the oxygen here. I'm really not kidding.

Children of Men

This weekend I watched "Children of Men", a film, that although incredibly violent (my eyes were shut thru alot of parts), it really impacted me.

In brief, it depicted a world in 2027 where infertility is not merely epidemic, but it is absolute for all women. No one could have babies.

I think of how our society is pushing the envelope in ways to blot out life when its not convenient. We do not want to be interrupted.

It seems to be contrary to what is centrally universal to all nations and peoples. That the new life of a child is miraculous, it evokes hope in our souls, in our hearts. It is vital to our vision of the future. It is our future.

Yet we devise ways to destroy it.

I won't tell you the end of the movie, but the credits begin with the sound of the laughter of children. Characters in the film lamented about the loss of children's laughter.

Each life carries such a weight and a glory. We should be mindful.

Exciting news

My roomate, Omo and I are going to start volunteering with the Somali Community Association here in D.C. Most of the families are refugees, and are in need of help with their children. We will be working with a family of seven: nine months to a 11 years old. The kids are so beautiful!!!

Here's another one to discuss among your friends

My friend Jess and I were praying last night and she mentioned a scripture that was preached on at church this Sunday:

"The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwells in you."

I tell you what - I do not live alot of my life remembering that - or believing it for that matter. That wherever I go, I carry the Spirit of the Living God with me.

What an amazing piece of information. Just think what will happen if we start to believe it.

Keep this tucked away for the storms in life

My roomate and I watched the movie, The Mission, an old film that depicts the true story of 18th century Jesuit priests who defended South American Indian tribes from Portugal and Spain, which ultimately leads to their deaths. At the end of the film a verse was flashed on the screen:

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness could not overcome it." - John 1:5

And don't we face the darkness every day in the news, in our families, in our own minds, with those obstacles that weary us into believing things will never change. The battle is so fierce. But it says that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against those who are the children of light.

Simple math

Let X be gratitude and Y be joy. Or maybe it's the other way around. At any rate, I think I might be on to something.

It's a man lunch

My boss brings three or four plastic bags to lunch every day, and they almost always full of meat.

Chicken, pork, steak. And it's marinated in some sort of liquid floating around in the bag. I'm not a vegetarian, but don't really enjoy meat, and i most definitely don't like to see pieces of meat floating around in meat juice.

Go ahead and gag, it's okay really, because the minute I see him coming for the lunch table, my gag reflex goes into action.

Unfortunately my face always gives my distate away immediately and he laughs. This is his response:

"Jen, it's a man lunch"

I wish the man lunch could be a salad once in awhile.

Where is the love?

The love is still here. Especially for all you kind folks that let me reference your blog on this site.

But I am taking it down for now so I can play around with adding other things.

I have you bookmarked, you will not be forgotten, and you may be seeing JD comments from time to time...