great & mighty

"Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you did not know." Jeremiah 33:3

sam & ponch

great & mighty

'Wor Ship' arrrrgh matey!

Sunday night, as referred to by different participants in various blogs was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship. Our dependancy on God's presence and power seems so much more sought in times of need, but what does it look like to seek him when we are just waiting?

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has concieved what God has prepared for those who love him."
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7 (NIV)

To worship God all the time--my heart yearns for it. But what does it look like to be a true worshipper? To worship God here in Iowa, with my friends...my my fellow deck mates of this 'Wor Ship'.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."
John 4:23 (NIV)

"keep your stones in the sling David!"

sunday night volleyball in sioux center

andrea. jenn. dane. ponch. phil. sam. kevin. ross. ethan. matt. tracy. nish. amanda. morgan. cassie. laurel

Die Koffiehoek Art Gallery

Remember the coffee shop guy who asked me to hang my art? Well that became a reality last week Friday. Praise God...what an awesome answer to prayer and really a picutre from an open window that God opened. Come by and see it.

DIE KOFFIEHOEK ART GALLERY

Thanks to Bruce Muilenberg from Die Koffiehoek and to the fine Sioux Center gentleman who hung it.

push-ov (push + shove)

The game starts by two contestants standing arm length apart with thier legs firmly planted on the ground shoulder width apart. Straight arms to the partners' shoulders can measure correct distance.

The hands are placed in front of upper arms and then begin to push and shove one another. The point is to shove the other off center of balance. When a foot is moved back or up or adjusted to keep balance, then you lose that round. Usually rounds of 'out of three' are played and then go into either round robin tournement or just simply winner takes everyone....like I did at this little gathering of photos. Erika took everyone. Sorry Ross, Ponch, and Sam---maybe next time. (Tracy didn't play, she's gonna get it)

Another trick is to move your hands away from the on coming hand push. Only hands can be touched...no other body contact. But hands can be tricky to hit. A good tip is to counteract the force by releasing your arms so the opponent comes flying towards you. If he touches you with his/her body, then they lose. But if you get scared and move your feet first, you lose first. If both are falling, like in this above photo. The call is who moved their foot first to catch themselves from splatting on the cement. The one who wants to keep thier skull first is the loser (unfortunately so).

Its always a good idea to have fun. Sam's got it right. Pointing and laughing is just fine in this game.

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This game was enjoyed by many across the nations. I have played this game in my Orange City kitchen with dad and my sister and brother and ex-fiances and visitors and cousins and all of them. Then two years ago I brought it to Eastern Europe. The Hungarian high schoolers were entering competitions and going bizzerk! And this year, upon a hill in Qutobenie, South Africa a small group of children huddle around Yonela (Erika, with her South African name) to play round after round of Push-ov. And then returning to Cape Town to enjoy some real hearty laughs with good Norwegian pal Daniel Saxe (who was challenging competition). And of course, the here and now Orange City, IA. I tell you...if you are looking for an opportunity for people to just relax, open up and have fun, try it! Maybe it is the missionary in me, but people love it...and hate getting beat by girls. I'm no girl when it comes to Push-ov....I am an overcomer!

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Thanks for the awesome cheering support. Push-ov is a lawn chair bringing type of event.

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(People present in today's photos include: Ross, Sam, Ponch, and Kevin---and the invisible Tracy)

poke my hontas please

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



This past weekend--July 14-16. I went to Minneapolis, MN with my good friend Tracy and my good sister Christa. We were visiting Jill....in the picture with Tracy. Our adventure was sweet. Friday night we stopped into the new dwelling of my good pals Sarah and Andrew De Young, pictured first. They will have been married for 2 weeks! Nice! Wonderful visit...I felt old though, because we were just visitors not roommates anymore! Like visitors should, we send a post visit thank-you note (or email)....I did that. I am old.

Saturday we were up early to walk around Calhoun Lake then stop by the Walker Sculpture Garden, as seen by the gigantic cherry on a spoon and the wooden box frame. We searched all over down town for a Chipoltle's Mexican restaurant and realized that usually businesses are closed on Saturdays...what's with that? So we paid 6 bucks for downtown parking...that we used less than 40min. Not worth it. The parking attendent smelled our mexican breath and we only paid 5. I like Minneapolis and it was urban and suburban and other kinds of -urban. We went to a Twins game. They wooped up on Cleveland Indians 6-2. My first baseball game...professional anything actually. I am niiave.

Sunday we went to an Urban Church called 'The Sanctuary'. There was praise and worship and there was hip-hop worship. 'Let me hear you say, oh (oh) oh (oh) oh oh oh (oh oh oh)' Kinda like that. And heard a great speaker named Jeremy Kingsley. An enlightening look at the two WOW's----1.good 2.bad

Great thanks to Cousin Jill who hosted our silly pants in her downtown apartment. Chocolate covered strawberries and make-them-yourselves taco bowls.

Eye see you!

Question #1: Who are these people?
Question #2: Where have they been all year?
Question #3: Which one has bigger eyes?
Question #4: What extracurricular activity brought them together?
Question #5: How many years ago?
Question #6: What are the middle names?
Question #7: Single?
Question #8: Why?
Question #9: What does Rock Valley have to do with it?
Question #10: Where are they when this picture was taken?

a poke in the eye

This says Norway, if you didn't know.

Missionary or the fiddle playing Pied Piper?

Musical evangelism in Amsterdam Airport

revelation

FAITH & ART

Yesterday I was cleaning my room, which I do fanatically lately...I love to have a clean room. Everything in its place. I found this paper cover magazine with the words Grunewald Guild on it. Looked like it came from the 80's so I thought to toss it...then looked more seriously on the issue date. 'Winter 2006' Huh, interesting. So I flipped through the pages. It was an art guild in Northwest US. How had they gotten my address? And it was a Christian organization. I intently read more and realized, wow this random find which was almost tossed sounds really cool. Unfortunately I had missed all the summer courses and opportunitites to volunteer my summer and recieve free board, free food, and a free art course every week. shucks. But, maybe I will continue to look into it. There is always next year.

Why do we see what we do as the day floats by. Why is it that sometimes our eyes are glued and minds get transfixed on images, a picture, a word, or a gesture. I know that God can speak through anything...and how fun if he is so tricky to speak secretly. If I want to hear God, I have to really watch, be awake, and be prepared.

I am craving to do more art, to just do it, create, to live in a community that celebrates my annointing. If Grunewald Guild is not even in my future, I know that my heart connects to something like it...and very close to it. That my heart beats wildly for a place to be me.

The mind realizing what the heart has long time felt...that's a revelation.



"I'm inspired by those that find thier gifts and live a life that celebrates it."
-Richard Caemmerer: founder of Grunewald Guild, Leavenworth WA


"When we can create, tell our stories, share images from the deeper places, it touches that holy place in each of us."
-Liz Caemmerer: founder of Grunewald Guild

unashamed

i met a very old man
wrinkles like stories and years
thrown on his face
like a blanket tossed
to the edge of a chair

his heart vivid
while his lips hung as a
worn shirt on a lazy hook
not saying a thought
of how the eyes tell
as his mind still
chasing
grappling for
rest in peace

his thoughts
lost in forests
of stories and years
with blank stare

words
cross deserts of dry
parched tongue
exhausted
thirsty eyes
speak of restless toil
heavy under their lids

at once his face
awoke
yawning at the eve of him
salty sadness
pouring down like
gentle summer
raining tears
in sheets of restoration
cold and honest
this drowning glacier

wept
unashamed

Rooibus Tea Please

Monday night I was cleaning at the Nederlander Grille where I am a waitress I had made a comment in Norwegian and my co-waitress Leah inquired, 'Yeah, why were you in Norway anyway?' I simply said," YWAM." and she was up in a stitch! She was joining too! I had been sitting across from Orange City's next 2006 YWAMer. Now there are three! Matt Hulst, romping around some random country like YWAMers should: me, trotting the streets of Orange City with smiles and encouragements: and now 18 year old Leah Durst who will endeavor into the mysterious realms of YWAM Guadalajara starting in September.

My 8:30 till 10:00 was spent with this girl, we met for hot beverages at the new Koffiehoek in Orange City.

I had Rooibus which means Red Bush--coming from (oooh so lovely) South Africa. The taste of the tea reminded me of street evangelism on Friday nights in Cape Town where a man named Koobos would traipse us up and down the streets of this crime ridden hole and to show us the spiritual holdings of sin and evil gripping thousands of souls. Welp, let's take a break---and walked back to the church for tea and coffee.

Someone 'volunteered' to stay behind and prepare the tea while the others went out and did the scary evangelism..."thanks for volunteering, where would we be without you? It's good you did, because I am not sure anyone would want to stay behind, not when there are souls to save, and freaky men to pray will not touch you. Thanks for doing the tea".....however, deep down we all wanted to be the one who got to just stay back and prepare the tea and coffee in the safety of the church walls...behind a steaming cup of Red Bush.

As I drank the tea Leah would just ask questions and soak up my words of YWAM like a sponge. She graduated high school and has heard the voice of God. She is heading out with that calling into the wild world.

I went to the cashier to receive my Red Bush tea and the owner bumbled out of the kitchen with his eyes on me and his bottom lip curling slightly upward like a piece of bologna warmed in the microwave for 25 seconds.

"Hey, hey you...I'm talking to you,"

I stopped, my pounding heart. Was the sugar not free?

"So, that whole wall is empty...you want to display and sell your art here?"

Yes!

Mentor. Evangelist. Missionary. Entrepreneur. Artist. Rooibus Tea Please.

smile like a gopher

see the gopher here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFfPyEMRpk&search=mothers%20day

Wedding Days

This song is by Ben Pasley as well and it is really great. Listen up. Wedding Days
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/artist/enter/enter7

fruitfulness....ahem

A couple of underhanded snickering from the back reception table....because of a creative mind, involving a reaction to the word fruitfulness spoken at a wedding! Ahem...

The Andrew and Sluis wedding was a complete and genuine hit. By all means was this the most real wedding I have been to. So understandably real, where you were a part of the whole thing, being that the bride and groom never appointed themselves apart from anything--and in everything was there peace. I was so glad to have been able to play violin and sing at the wedding today. I was a part of something really big! And God brought parts of my heart back together as my good friends were able to once again set thier face towards the hope that I have in my heart.

Ponch throwing a punch for the Sarah's bride bouquet

But, guess who rightly and unfortunately showed up with
the flowers--yep. me, the disengaged one to be anti-wed in three weeks
from today. I mean what does that even mean? Can
it mean that I got some nice flowers? Thanks. I just hope I
dont get the wrong impression. It's hardly ironic,
and just makes me think.
I continue to seek the peace of the Lord. fill me up Lord.


fruitful
but please no
snickers


And I fall into pieces
And I'm falling to pieces
I sure could use some peace

Ben Pasley--chorus from 'Pieces' , Enter the Worship Circle Chair and Microphone No. 1
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/artist/enter/enter7
Click on 'Pieces' and listen