So.... 
My sister and I are composing a series of songs to [one day] record. One of them is called 

"Dauntless".

adj. showing fearlessness or determination

Walking on the sand up the Santa Cruz beach 

sun so bright like my memories 

oh baby 

and it sounds like this

Flying so fast like a coaster ride 

memories come in like a raging tide 

oh baby 

and it sounds like this: 

Pre-Chorus 

baby just wait for it 

nobody's perfect 

baby we're made for it 

chorus: 

(it's like we're) 

Dauntless 

Fire in our souls getting brighter 

like the fire on the shore getting higher 

spinning into the sea. 

Waves toss 

your hair up as we jump now 

we're both so high and we know now 

it's where we're meant to be 

Talking up the change that has set us free

one with Him we're a masterpiece 

oh baby 

and it looks like this:

giving our all to fight the good fight

the poor and needy lost in time

oh baby 

let's stand for this 

Bridge: 

(rap) 

So baby let me tell you something that I know is right

i know that we are special when we're walkin' in the light

but this is not our home so let's not get too entranced

there's purpose in our souls and there's beauty in our dance 

you and I together we can set the captives free 

Jesus is the fire that's transforming you and me 

here we stand strong on the shore of life 

so let's jump jump JUMP with our hands held high 

"Resurrection"

 Unflinching

This love inside my soul

Reaching past the fears

Making me whole—

                   Unrelenting

                                     This light called Sun

washing me clean

blinding me,

                     scathing my skin

as it begins

making me one.

Two on a line

         Twice reconciled,

                Once to their God

                            Once to the child

                                         Inside their own hearts

                                                     Where dreams congregate

And talk about friends

And the worlds to create;

            Dwelling on hope

                   And faith

                        And love

                             Hope against hoping

Against being in love.

Paradox or paradigm

Strange or strained

Found or fine

Great or grating

On my aching bones

As I reach

I stretch

For those lofty goals.

Unseen and unheard

         The dreams inside

                 where seeds of hope and love abide;

                             they cannot be held

so tenderly clasped

           by the dirt and the water and the rawest waste

yet this is where they grow

            in the broken soil—

                      while the Grower stoops on His knees to toil

                                   and protect their little quivering shells

just wait, little seeds,

              for the wedding bells—

you’ll spring from the dust

you’ll shout to the sky

“I’m here,  

                               and I’m free,

                                                          And I’ll never ever die!”

His Voice in my Ear

Look up, My child, 

look up 

you need to be guided, 

to be known 

don't give up, 

I love you 

I'm making you a home. 

Far beyond the stars

yet closer than your heart 

to your self

I'm not unreachable. 

Just make a move towards Me, 

and you'll find 

I've been here, 

the whole time. 

I'm doing great things, 

beautiful things, 

wonderful things, 

for you. 

Look up, My child, look up, 

I know you. 

we are all a thing of beauty...
made for more than this earth...

A Thing of Beauty 

(Endymion) 

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: 

Its loveliness increases; it will never 

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep 

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep 

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing 

A flowery band to bind us to the earth, 

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth 

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days, 

Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkn'd ways 

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all, 

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall 

From our dark spirits. 

Such the sun, the moon, 

Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon 

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils 

With the green world they live in; and clear rills 

That for themselves a cooling covert make 

'Gainst the hot season; the mid-forest brake, 

Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms: 

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms 

We have imagined for the mighty dead; 

An endless fountain of immortal drink, 

Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink. 

John Keats 

The Impossible Will Happen

Nada es imposible para Dios. 

"Jesus le dijo >>al hombre es imposible, pero no para Dios, porque todas las cosas son posibles para Dios.<<
Marcos 10:27

Even while you're waiting for God to lead, 

you can enjoy the process! 

Here is a picture of me in Colombia, Bogota-area, 

blown away by the way my DTS leader got blown away by this mean old cow! 

Kathryn got to her before I could pet her=-P

Then I decided "Maybe the best course of action is

to NOT pet the seemingly nice cow." 

Ode to...a Cow 

It is safe to say I can appreciate the cow

but only from the distance my conscience will allow. 

She deceived us all with her friendly nature 

but hiding 'neath the spots is a devilish creature. 

She lowers her head 

and bowls people over--

But looks so innocent 

when she's munching the clover. 

Seriously, though, nothing is impossible with God. 

If He wants you somewhere, you're going to be there. 

It doesn't matter how insecure you FEEL about it--

Christ is stronger than our hearts

stronger than our feelings. 

We may be inadequate, but Jesus is more than adequate. 

So I encourage you to trust Him, 

even if you're not sure

whether to go or stay. 

learn to love the rain

because the rain makes you grow 

i love it when the sun shines though=-D

butterflies are the best 

so masterfully designed 

a song for help in troubled waters, written one year ago today

April 19, 2014

You fill me with confidence.

You fill me with peace.

You wrap Your arms about me when every man in sight is gone,

When life is tormented and there is no song,

When the dance is a lie

And the move a desire;

When the world is a cold place devoid of fire;

When all is bleak and dim and sad

When I feel like one thing would make me glad;

And I stumble here

And I find there’s no one else

Only a bloody, running tear

Dropping down from the splintery cross;

I reach for You

But I find You gone

Away from the misery,

Yet in my midst still

As much as I promise,

As much as I will,

There is no victory for me alone.

I cannot win

At Your cross I bow

But I cannot stay there and weep;

Now the light is coming,

Oh Lord wake me up

Shake me

Break me

From the earthly sleep.

Take me, Lord,

Humble me low,

So I will drink the heavenly flow;

Lead me on, from this torturous symbol

The cross, and the pain, and the fears

That crumble.

Jesus,

Only

Jesus

True

Jesus, You love me

When lovers are few;

And the darkness is coming

And I feel the world groan

And I know, in an instant

I’ll be going on home.

Take me,

Transform me!

This body isn’t me;

I know I will find You in eternity…

And there, fully known,

I will recognize You

what a glorious view!

Finally,

No worry

So hold me, I  cry

Fill me with peace, in Your arms, while the song

of Your confident love

pours on and on…

forever and a day, forever and a thousand years!

You’ll be the One who dries my tears.

So when you feel the cold, when the fire dies

Bask in the Son

And let your spirit rise. 

Joy like Heaven

Sometimes, life is difficult. 
           Ok, most of the time. 
God never promised life would be easy, but He did promise that we would find joy in Him through every hardship, if we ask Him for the joy.
    My prayer for you today is that in the middle of the ugliness, the nastiness of this out-of-control world, that you would find a place of peace and rest.

Knowing Jesus is here, among us still in the form of the Holy Spirit, we can have sweet assurance. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine--oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Those are not just words. This is a promise. 

We're truly fortunate. 

If we think of all that Jesus has done for us, and how we are actually 

created in His image, 

it opens our eyes to more than the surface pain and suffering. 

If, after the wars inside, we keep going back to that sweet place, 

we find solace. 

No matter what happens, Jesus is sovereign. 

His ultimate plan is no pain, no death, no despair. 

I expect we'll be a bit like this baby in heaven at first--

just peacefully resting in His amazing home for us. 

But then we'll wake up, start moving around...

....start realizing how fantastic everything is! We won't be able

to contain our joy! 

There will be gardens, more beautiful that these ones in Japan, 

the Kawchi-Fuji wisteria gardens. 

And mountain ranges....

...for those of us who like to run around exploring all day...

rivers and places where we can really have adventures...

maybe it'll be weird at first, 

jumping off cliffs without getting hurt at the bottom, 

just getting back up, or 

better yet, flying straight off into the sky...

because in heaven, there'll be no death...

we won't be able to die. 

I'm sure we'll be so delighted,

we'll just walk around laughing and saying hi to everyone

the first 1000 years. 

I'm sure we'll have jobs to do, places to go...and 

God to worship!

There won't be any more working for the sake of money,

position, 

prominence, 

fame. 

Everything we do will be done out of pure joy

love,

and worship. 

He decidido sequir a Cristo

He decidido sequir a Cristo

he decidido sequir a Cristo

No vuelva atras

no vuleva atras

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back

No turning back. 

So if you're having a bad day

or just a time of longing

for rest

for comfort

for a place to call home

Take heart, 

child of God.

Be still, and know,

that He is who He is. 

And He always will be. 

 >>Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.<<

luke 18:17

Let's be kids. 

Let's be free. 

Paradox of following Christ: 

the more we grow into Him, 

the more we start looking like a child. 

Closing our eyes,

taking a risk

being blessed 

by surprises 

closing our eyes

feeling the wind in our face

being content. 

child-like faith

This is a poem I wrote back in 2012. Much has changed since then, including my outlook on life, but this reflects the feelings I have sometimes in this generation, as a young adult. 

            The cobwebs bounce in the breeze,

            The breeze is still, because summer says “calm”—

            The cat is content,

            Or seems to be—

            The dogs are tired,

            They squint like me;

            The birds keep up,

            As if bound to sing

            To the joy-lit flowers,

            As an offering.

            But there’s more than that;

            Over, through, and in,

            Every wonder note

            Is a secret hid;

            There’s a grander force, and a grander hope,

            And the grass is growing,

            By a genius stroke;

            Herbs in upward thriving

            Seem a quiet proof

            Of the Spirit guiding,

            With the deeper truth,

            Can’t we all discover,

            Under neath the grass

            How the clay is rocky,

            How it’s our own fault;

            No amending is done,

            Yet approval must come

            Tiny race, so bold,

            Is the human—cold

            Seeps the expectation of our own rights,

            Causes, dreams, entitlements;

            While the daisies starve;

            Baby’s breath, once strong,

            Withers by the heat,

            Procured by our ovens,

            Our precious cement habitats—

            Yet below the soil,

            Where the earthworms struggle,

            All is hard as stone,

            When the top-coat’s gone;

            So the cobwebs bounce,

            Who sees them spin?

            We’re off playing games,

            Watching concerts begin;

            Marching up and down hallways,

            In stiff self-made suits

            Our plastic is melting

            While the sun burns our roots;

            Yet we’re still cold as rocks!

            “Never, ever regret”

            Is the mantra proclaimed,

            So we never repent. 

"For this people's heart has grown dull,

    and with their ears they can barely hear,

    and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

    and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

    and turn, and I would heal them."

Matt. 13:15