The Hunger Games

Week 36.

I did absolutely nothing productive this week.  The semester has been winding down and responsibilities at Grapevine are becoming fewer and fewer.  The result?

I ordered all three Hunger Games books on my Kindle for PC, and read them consecutively for three days straight.   I am sure the effects of reading, eating, and sleeping for three days were negative to my health, not to mention the damage to my eyes from staring at a computer screen for that long. I even stayed up until 4 in the morning on Saturday to finish the last one.

Unfortunately, I did not wake up in time to go to church the next morning.  This double sucked because a) church is the most rejuvenating part of my week, and I love going,  and b) it was Easter Sunday!!!  That is like, the ONE Sunday a year that you are not allowed to oversleep for church.  And I missed it.  Because I was reading.  :(

Anyway, at least it was a wake up call to quit being so lazy.  I do not have much time left in Thailand.  Why spend it intentionally escaping reality, intentionally pushing away real life and living (for three straight days) in a fictional world?  Gosh.  How silly of me.

I went for a walk on campus this week and discovered a huge beehive, and a pretty little flower.  If you have not read/watched The Hunger Games, just trust me when I say these are both significant to the plot:

At least I can say that the message of The Hunger Games is a good one:  There is always hope.  :)

life lessons.

Week 35.

In case you had not noticed, I have two blogs.  One called "come awake" which is for my family and supporters back home.  And this one, which is basically for Aubrey Balk and sometimes Eric Pitts.  ;)  But I don't really mind who reads either one.   I try not to write things I wouldn't tell the average stranger.

At the start of this week, I read a devo out of the book My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I thought that this week's lesson was more appropriate to share on the other blog.  You may go there to read it if you'd like.  :)

But to go along with it, here is another Seryn song for you, called "We Will All be Changed."  It is about life lessons (I think).  "We can shape but can't control these possibilities to grow, weeds amongst the push and pull, waiting on the wind to take us..."

Anyway, here are some pretty flowers I took pictures of on campus this week (since this is a photography blog, and all...)

ritual.

Week 34.

Having only ever really experienced Protestant Christianity, ritual religions seem very foreign.  I confess, I am quite intrigued.  Yes, there are some rituals which I have taken part in... such as the Holy Eucharist, fasting, foot washing and baptism.  And yes, even protestant church services have a certain formula to them that are ritualistic, whether we categorize it that way or not.  But what interests me are rituals that are deeply rooted in holy meaning, and take on such meaning when performed by the devotee.

I think my spiritual experience has lacked this kind of daily, deeply symbolic ritual reminder.

I decided this week to start praying on my knees.  Not every time I pray, of course.  But before I go to sleep each night, I kneel by my bed, like little kids in movies.

It is not that I think God will be impressed by the gesture, or that God will be angry if I forget to kneel or stop altogether.  And I certainly do not think that kneeling will make my prayers more powerful or my heart more righteous.  It is just a reminder for me.  Assuming the literal position of humility and meekness before the Lord, as I seek to bend my heart in the same manner.

I was inspired to take up this new ritual by the song entitled On My Knees by Seryn.  "On my knees, I can see, where my heart, needs to be... when this life, gets to me, I'll be found, on my knees."  And I have been desperate lately to see where my heart needs to be.

And so, on my knees I will be found.

On a (semi-)related note, I visited some Buddhist temples this week.  As a tourist.  It is a religion based almost entirely on performance of ritual.  Every inch of the temple grounds is ornately, intricately, elaborately covered in jewels, stones, and gold.  Here are some photos:

cracks.

Week 33.

I've been feeling a bit cracked lately.  Broken.  Not fully functioning how I was meant to.  BUT.  I am learning that it is okay to be cracked sometimes.  Because that is how the Lord's grace seeps in...

Here are a couple authors who say what I mean better than I can:

"That which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond.  To Him.  To the God whom we endlessly crave."  -One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp

"As I seek to look at the world through the lens of grace, I realize that imperfection is the prerequisite for grace.  Light only gets in through the cracks... our wounds and defects are the very fissures through which grace might pass.  It is our human destiny on earth to be imperfect, incomplete, weak and mortal, and only by accepting that destiny can we escape the force of gravity and receive grace.  Only then can we grow close to God."  -What's So Amazing About Grace?, Philip Yancey

Or, as I recently heard in a sermon, God does not need us to heal our own wounds before we join Him in joyful service.  But it is precisely through joining the Lord in his work that he pours healing over us.  Pours his grace on us.  This has been such a freeing lesson for me to learn.  Because I am supposed to be the one ministering to others.  And I feel so inadequate and incapable to do so, because I still feel so cracked and broken. 

What good news it is that this cracked heart is in the exact right condition to receive grace!

One of my favorite sights in the world is the look of sunlight streaming through green tree leaves.  Of course, the view is improved while swinging a hammock.  It is the reason that green is my favorite color.  This lesson about grace and cracks gives a whole new the beauty of such a scene.  The leaves look like they glow with life, but only because of the light that streams in and around them... through the cracks between the leaves.

Goodness.... oh, that the Lord would make my life so beautiful......

taken at an ancient temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

looking up.

Week 32.

"I lift my eyes into the mountains-- where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."  Psalm 121: 1-2

I confess that I do not lift my eyes up to the hills enough...  Sometimes I do.  But sometimes, I am too weak to.  And yet other times, I simply choose not to.

Those are the times that are most scary-- when I choose not to look for the Lord.  When I choose instead to hide my face and pretend that God is not confusing or that I am not afraid of Him.

Gosh, this is hard... looking up, I mean.  For some time now, I have been unwell.  I talk more about it in this blog post on my other blog.  I wrote it nearly a month ago, but I am still struggling now.  Struggling to slowly but surely look up at the One who will save me, and trust Him to do so.

All I can say is, God has BLESSED me with the best friends in the world-- friends who love me so truly, they will bear with and honor me above even themselves.  It is in this fact that I feel the Lord's love for me in this season.

There are not many mountains in Thailand, but there sure are lots of palm trees...

looking up.

Overall,though, this was a good week.  Soul-filling, heart healing.  We had a visitor from America.  And he and I had some looooooong conversations.  His kind listening and wise counsel was exactly what I needed to get back on track.

harbor me.

Week 31.

So, I was doing some cleaning.  Removing things from my pictures and documents and inbox... just stuff I dont want to run into by accident anymore.  And of course, I got distracted looking through some of it.

And gosh...  how quickly do memories course the pain...  the confusion, uncertainty, regret...

And I was listening to a cd that I had just gotten in the mail from Aubrey.  And the next song came on:
"Lift me up from the ashes, of my hearts own shallow grave.  Spare my body from the wolves, God, that crouch down at my door.  Lift me up above the waters and the sharks that guard your shore.  I know that I need you... Harbor me in the eye of the storm, I’m holding on to love you swore..." 

The afternoon sky outside had been darkening, and finally the clouds opened up.  Lightning.  Thunder.  And tropical torrent.  I opened the doors and windows to let the cool wind blow through.
Tears fell.  Rain poured.  His grace falling from heaven.  And this little sheep felt so harbored.

And I grabbed my camera to capture the grace-moments of the storm.

decisions, decisions.

Week 30.

Obviously, I am not writing this blog post during the week to which it refers.  So to refresh my memory, I took a look back through my journal.  I journal nearly every night... mostly prayers, or wisdom I have come across, or Scripture that has stood out to me.

During this particular week, I was starting to pray about decisions.  "God, what do you want me to be when I grow up?"  You know, stuff like that.  But I found some good verses I wrote down.  Verses to live by.  Verses that I hope I will always live by, no matter if I have decisions to make or not.

    Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?  Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
(Isaiah 55:1-3 ESV)


    As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV)

I still lots of decisions to make.  Good thing I still have the verses to pray through.  I also went to a football (soccer) game with my friend, Aom.

its not artsy.  but I did take it. clearly. ;) and I sure do love this girl.

Go Thammasat! :)

love actually. is. all around.

Week 29.

From time to time, I have the honor of giving the Bible study talk at our weekly Souper Tuesday event.  On Valentine's day, I talked about love (go figure).  I have decided to share my thoughts here...  (and yes, I did use the opening clip from Love Actually)

Love actually.  Is.  All around.

In families, in relationships, in disasters, in friendships, in strangers.  The Bible says that God IS love.  And anyone who knows love knows God.  God created all things and built love into the world because that is who he is:  Love.  To experience love is to experience a little piece of God-- a piece of himself that he chose to share with the world when he created it.

I believe, and the Bible teaches, that the beauty of Creation is an expression of God's love.  It is like an artist's signature... the very quality of a piece of work reveals who created it.  Beauty is Love.  And Love is God's signature.  And it is all around...

In the beauty of Thailand, in the smiles of Thailand, in waterfalls, in mountains, in trees, in deserts, in the sunrise, in the sunset, in the ocean, in flowers, in the stars, in animals, in people...

God loves this world.  God is in this world.  All around.

But the ultimate love of God-- where we see His Signature the most-- is in Jesus.

If all of creation is God's artwork, and love is His signature, Jesus is the masterpiece of all existence.
More than the beauty of relationships, more than the beauty of people, more than the animals, plants, stars, the earth...

Jesus is the greatest expression of beauty because Jesus expressed the greatest love:  not that we loved God first, but that God sent his Son to die so that we may experience true life.  The most beautiful life is life spent with God.

One way to spend life with God is to love other people.  True love finds its blessedness in blessing others-- in honor and in love, no matter what.  Is this not the same kind of love we see in mothers, lovers, volunteers, friends, givers?...  All of these people are willing to sacrifice something for the good of another.  All are willing to love like God, and in doing so, willing to experience God.

Another way to spend life with God is to meet Him in the beauty of his creation. Enter into awe of God's creation, enter into the Love of God.

Later in the week, we took 20 students on an overnight retreat to the beach.  It was rainy on the first day when we arrived, but the skies cleared and most of the night and the next day were sunny.  The theme of the retreat was essentially: once lost, now found.  Via the analogy of Finding Nemo.  It was good.  Trust me.

And the photo of the week?  It comes from the retreat.  A snapshot of the Lord's beauty.  A glimpse of God's great love-signature.

Yes.  I do believe it is true...

Love actually.  Is.  All around

God actually.  Is.  All around.

RUNBKK.

Week 28.

Yeah, so I ran a half marathon.  It was hot and hard... and kind of less exciting than I had hoped, honestly.  I somehow went the wrong way at the end and had to turn around and go back.  Then I couldn't figure out how to get back on track, so I wound up taking a different route to the finish line.  I think(?) I ran 13.1 miles.... but I guess I can't be sure.  Also, it turns out that I run the exact same pace as 50 year old Thai men, because those are the only people I saw around me the whole race.  But don't get me wrong-- I am certainly glad that I did it.  Anyway, I wrote a much more inspiring blog about it on come awake, if you are interested.

I don't have a running armband, so I hold my phone in my hand while I run so I can listen to music.  Which also (conveniently) enables me to take pictures while I'm running.  Here is one from the race, as I was running over a suspension bridge at about 6 a.m....

give me Jesus.

Week 27.

In the morning when I rise.
When I am alone.
When I come to die.

I tend to listen to songs on repeat.  A song that speaks to whatever season of the soul that I am in.  Lately?  Give me Jesus.  Sung by the sweet sweet voice of Joelle May.  What I am learning more and more, what I am trying so hard to remember in each moment, what I cling to in the dark-- there is no one but Jesus.  There is nothing more important than Jesus.  Nothing more life-giving, nothing more freeing, nothing more healing than to know and trust and seek Jesus Christ.

My constant prayer:  Lord, let all else fade away.  Let all else be swallowed up and dissolved by simply knowing you.  Simply being with you, Jesus.

There is a reason we were meant to live in light...  Because freedom comes when we are unable to hide.  Sometimes the light is bright-- too bright.  It hurts the eyes, hurts the heart.  But if I can stand in it, abide in the light just long enough, I will eventually see Jesus.

in between clouds.

[I did not take any photos this week, so I chose this old one that I took with my iPhone on a flight to South Carolina.  I love love love the light.  It is the header photo on my other blog.]

chiang mai.

Week 26.

Don't worry, I am slowly but surely catching up... 

I went to Chiang Mai two weekends ago.  The highlight:  I made friends with a man who got his arm bitten off by a crocodile.  The low:  I almost got abducted.  It was quite the adventure. For the full story, please see my other blog:  <http://gracecurtright-comeawake.blogspot.com/2012/02/lets-take-trip.html>.

But for now, here is my favorite photo...

at the station.

just dance.

Week 25.

Another thing we do at Grapevine?....

Dance parties.

At least once or twice a month, our Souper Tuesday event turns into a karaoke/dance-athon after all of the scheduled programing has taken place.  Whether it be to Disney or Glee or Lady Gaga or Mariah Carey or Thai pop music, we sing our hearts out and dance (the rest) of the night away.  It is crazy fun, crazy loud, crazy energetic... just crazy.  Decorations are taken off the walls to become dance aids, people take turns being in the center of the ring, acting out "Colors of the Wind" or Simba as he scales Pride Rock during "The Circle of Life," pretending to be Beyonce or Justin Beiber.....

I'm tellin ya, ca-RA-zy.

So, this week's picture is blurry, but I'm sure you can imagine why.  :)

just dance.

game time.

Week 24.

One of the things I missed most about the students being gone during the flood was that I had no one to play games with.  I was never much of a game-player at CCF... when people played Nerts or Mafia or Bang or whatever else, I would usually sit it out.  Because a) I am not very good at games, and b) I am not nearly as competitive as most of the other people who play games at CCF. 

But here in Thailand, where it is not as easy to communicate freely with language (and it is much less about the competition), I have found playing games to be a wonderful way to connect with students.  There is a little bit of talking, a lotta bit of laughing, and a comfortable setting in which to build relationships.  And it is fun!

Nerts, War, Casino, Swap, Uno, Pictionary, Jenga, Set, Corner the Market, Phase 10, Clue, Monoploy...  and those are just some of the favorites.

So, all this to say, I am glad that my job includes game time with some pretty cool students.

game time.

back to school, back to life.

Week 23.

This week is the first week that students are back at campus for classes, and it is the first week of activities at Grapevine.  As we walked around campus yesterday, I could feel the positive, excited energy of everyone looking forward to the semester, reuniting with friends after 3 months. Thammasat is literally being restored to life-- not only with the students coming back, but the plants and flowers that were left brown and dead after the flood are turning green again.  People are actually stopping in to Grapevine to hang out!  I forgot that I was a campus minister for awhile!... But our first event is tonight and next week we start up with our weekly Souper Tuesday.

Life has been good these days... because we have come back to life. :)

back to school, back to life.

new year.

Week 22.

Not much to tell.  We continued organizing at Grapevine.  Bought some furniture.  Looks pretty sweet now.

Dana came to visit for New Years Eve-- her first time visiting Bangkok.  We ushered in the new year with millions of other people in downtown Bangkok, 13 hours ahead of our friends and family back home.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.  :(  I had planned on taking some super-sweet pictures, but it didn't really happen.  I did have my iPhone though, so I took some photos with that.  It sucks at night pictures, though.  So the one I chose for this week was taken during the daytime, on the 29 bus on the way to Bangkok.  Featuring none other than the lovely Dana Bruxvoort. :)

Sawa-dee, bee mai! Happy New Year! :)

merry christmas.

Week 21.

Merry (belated) Christmas!

Okay, so I am a little late blogging about it, but I did take some pictures this week, and I think a couple of them turned out pretty nice. :)  Although Thailand in general does not celebrate Christmas as a national holiday, many of the malls are still "donned in gay apparel," as well as the room that I share with my team leader.  She loves decorating, and loves decorating for Christmas.  Therefore, our room was beautifully festive, decked with boughs of holly and glowing with warm Christmas lights and scented candles.

We hosted a Christmas party for some of our Thai friends/students in our apartment the night before Christmas Eve.  I tried to take a few artsy photos of the decor.  Here are my two favorites:

Warm.  One of the candles on the bookshelf.  I think it looks like a temple or something.  Love it.

 

Ornaments.  Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright...

I had a lovely Christmas this year.  We got Christmas massages, went to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at church, stayed at a fancy Christmas hotel, watched our favorite Christmas movies, ate a delicious Christmas brunch, took a Christmas trip to the movies to see Sherlock Holmes, and went to a Christmas Day party with friends at church.

For me, it has been a season full of joy and important lessons from the Lord.

So, even though it is over, I wish peace and blessings to all who read this blog!