good?
Twirling steam playfully rises from the black surface,
The bitter liquid’s heat scalds taste buds.
Eyelids rise as caffeine begins to pulse through my veins.
Comfort of the familiar settles.
This place is safe, comfortable...good.
Two euros for a coffee, three for cheesecake,
A frappachino pushes near four.
Luna sits a block away; hands open,
Holes in her socks and longing in her eyes,
Begging for mere centimos to feed her family.
That isn’t right, that isn’t…good.
Tension grips my soul...eyes wander.
Eyes stop.
“Casino Royale.” Now that’s a movie!
Live for money, kill to get it, kill to keep it,
Plus sexual encounters along the way!
A black, leather-bound Bible lies open in front of me.
This place...good?
My eyes glide over phrases in Matthew,
“You have heard that it was said, ´You shall not...´.”
Focus is lost, another scan of the surroundings.
An FHM sign captivates my gaze.
Beautiful women...sexual women...sexual objects.
Gouge out an eye! Not objects, image bearers!
Where is the good?
My head is spinning, how do I respond?
Injustice, greed, and temptation envelope me.
Society feeds a beast of emptiness within.
Jealousy, greed, lust, hate...the beast grows.
It’s chocking, kill the beast or be killed!
But how? I need to be filled with something,
Something more powerful than the beast,
More powerful than the deceptions that feed it.
I need truth, I need substance, I need...Good!
Sunday, March 25
Rhonda
Friday I went to a little city of Rhonad with the school. This city is famous for it's bridge, having the first bull-fighting stadium with the biggest ring-size, and now for having the best McDonald's ice cream cones (they were so creamy!). Here are some of the pictures from the experience.
The view!
Just playing, reliving childfood bliss.
Hillary and Sarah dancing flamenco with random Spaniards in the bull fighting arena. I love Spaniards!
Micah, Tyler, and I taking in some of the sights while sitting by the edge of the gorge.
The amazing bridge.
Salva (my professor) and I at the bottom of the gorge.
Tyler and Andrea
The view!
Just playing, reliving childfood bliss.
Hillary and Sarah dancing flamenco with random Spaniards in the bull fighting arena. I love Spaniards!
Micah, Tyler, and I taking in some of the sights while sitting by the edge of the gorge.
The amazing bridge.
Salva (my professor) and I at the bottom of the gorge.
Tyler and Andrea
Sunday, March 18
Radiant Reflections
As most of you know, Spain is gorgeous. (Yes dad, Iowa is also beautiful, but in it's own special way.) While immersed in the beauty of Spain I have nearly been blinded by the radiant reflection of God all around me. In Spain it is extremely difficult not to see the reflection/beauty/fingerprint of God all around.
Standing on a fortress tower at the Alhambra I gazed down on the city of Granada lying below in peace and tranquility while the Sierra mountains capped in dazzling white stole my breath from above, the sun shone down upon me and the other tourists from Spain, France, Portugal, Brazil, China, and who knows where else. For a moment it seemed as though heaven descended to earth and everything was right and good, good like the beginning.
From the top of the Rock of Gibraltar on a blue-sky day God’s beauty is anything but absent. Morocco lies across the straight, the mountains of Southern Spain shoot from the water to the West, to the East ripples the open Mediterranean, below the crowded city with winding streets parallels cargos ships resting in the still blue of the harbor, and all around me, often mere inches away, are monkeys, monkeys that seem to arouse childlike jubilee from every person visiting this magical place.
As I walk through the doorway of an old palace the gardens of the Alcazar force an unintentional ‘wow’ from my lips. The sun is high, causing the full colors of the Alcazar to explode from inside the palace walls. Ducks flap, dive, and paddle around in the fountains that overflow into peaceful ponds. A maze of shrubs causes children to giggle, blossoming trees create an elegant background for couples posing for their wedding photos, towering evergreens and palm trees provide cool shade for a woman wrapped up in a gripping novel, and lemon trees throw me back into the feeling I first had when everything in Spain was exotic and new.
But God doesn’t only reveal Himself in the ‘wow’ moments. The joy of 85 year old Jose when he wins Bingo Tuesday afternoon, the reflection of an illuminated Trianna bridge off the still river water, the giggles of two little girls playing in the park, my professor Salva learning and using the term ‘fergalicious’, eating pizza with corn on it with 10 friends, the thanks and joy of a homeless woman named Luna when we share a meal with her, playing soccer with 7 Americans and 3 Frenchmen in Spain, watching flamenco at a local bar, an email from a friend, and many more. The beauty, love, and grace of God is inescapable, His reflection in the world is dazzling. I hope that you also are experiencing this wherever you. Open your eyes and watch God transform the ‘ordinary’ into extraordinary. Isn’t it beautiful?
Standing on a fortress tower at the Alhambra I gazed down on the city of Granada lying below in peace and tranquility while the Sierra mountains capped in dazzling white stole my breath from above, the sun shone down upon me and the other tourists from Spain, France, Portugal, Brazil, China, and who knows where else. For a moment it seemed as though heaven descended to earth and everything was right and good, good like the beginning.
From the top of the Rock of Gibraltar on a blue-sky day God’s beauty is anything but absent. Morocco lies across the straight, the mountains of Southern Spain shoot from the water to the West, to the East ripples the open Mediterranean, below the crowded city with winding streets parallels cargos ships resting in the still blue of the harbor, and all around me, often mere inches away, are monkeys, monkeys that seem to arouse childlike jubilee from every person visiting this magical place.
As I walk through the doorway of an old palace the gardens of the Alcazar force an unintentional ‘wow’ from my lips. The sun is high, causing the full colors of the Alcazar to explode from inside the palace walls. Ducks flap, dive, and paddle around in the fountains that overflow into peaceful ponds. A maze of shrubs causes children to giggle, blossoming trees create an elegant background for couples posing for their wedding photos, towering evergreens and palm trees provide cool shade for a woman wrapped up in a gripping novel, and lemon trees throw me back into the feeling I first had when everything in Spain was exotic and new.
But God doesn’t only reveal Himself in the ‘wow’ moments. The joy of 85 year old Jose when he wins Bingo Tuesday afternoon, the reflection of an illuminated Trianna bridge off the still river water, the giggles of two little girls playing in the park, my professor Salva learning and using the term ‘fergalicious’, eating pizza with corn on it with 10 friends, the thanks and joy of a homeless woman named Luna when we share a meal with her, playing soccer with 7 Americans and 3 Frenchmen in Spain, watching flamenco at a local bar, an email from a friend, and many more. The beauty, love, and grace of God is inescapable, His reflection in the world is dazzling. I hope that you also are experiencing this wherever you. Open your eyes and watch God transform the ‘ordinary’ into extraordinary. Isn’t it beautiful?
Friday, March 16
Friday, March 9
The UK, Toledo, and Sparkle Extreme
The 28th of February I went to the UK, no big deal. Ok, that is a little misleading, I actually went to The Rock of Gibraltar on the Southern coast of Spain which is owned by the UK. Anyway, the rock/island has a lot of history because of the constant battle for ownership between the Spanish, English, and Portugese. All of that is interesting, but the real attractions are the natural caves, being able to see Morocco across the straight of Gibraltar, and MONKEYS! Yep, monkeys! The monkeys live near the top of the rock and are a huge draw for many tourists. Some of them jumped on us, stole our food, made monkey love in front of us, and even bit a couple of people; basically what I lerned was: never trust a shifty-eyed ape.
That next weekend the school headed to Toledo (South of Madrid). Toledo is basically a good example of a really old Spanish city with very narrow streets, a wall surrounding the city, a gorgeous cathedral, very old buildings, and, of course, sword shops! Toledo is famous for their swords; the shop owners told us several times that the swords were not 'chino': aka. made in China. The city was amazing and intriguing, but the real fun, like most trips, occured in the hotel that night. It involved my 2 roommates and I each buying and eting an entire box of cereal (I had Frosted Flakes cause they're Grrrrreat!) and 3/4 of a liter of non-refridgerated milk from a box. Tyler and I chose Heineken to wash down our cereal while Jason drank an entire 2 liter of Pepsi! I am now a strong supporter of Kellog's placing a warning on their cereal boxes about consuming in moderation and not mixing with alcohol; the amount and combination really does a number on your bowel movements! Along with that fantastic meal, we played an intense card game of Egyptian Rat Screw followed by an intense 10 person round of Oreo Madness! All of that, combined with an earlier sunset photo shoot/ hill climbing excursion, made for an amazing trip. Oh, we also stopped to see some windmills that seemed to impress some people: same old, same old.
Finally, yesterday, the 8th, I was put into a state of extreme wonder and awe as I saw the professional European version of Sparkle! If you dn't know Sparkle, you probably don't know the true meaning of the words: breath-taking, elegant, fashionable, and fergalicious. For those of you who do not know Sparkle, Sparkle is the dance group that catapulted me to stardom. Anyway, this European version combined acrobatics on a trampoline, juggling, climbing up poles like only monkeys can, and of course, dancing in spandex! Wow! Let me say it again, wow! If that doesn't make someone like Spain, nothing can. On a side note, I miss you all and, while I'm loving Spain, it will be good to see most of you in a few months.
That next weekend the school headed to Toledo (South of Madrid). Toledo is basically a good example of a really old Spanish city with very narrow streets, a wall surrounding the city, a gorgeous cathedral, very old buildings, and, of course, sword shops! Toledo is famous for their swords; the shop owners told us several times that the swords were not 'chino': aka. made in China. The city was amazing and intriguing, but the real fun, like most trips, occured in the hotel that night. It involved my 2 roommates and I each buying and eting an entire box of cereal (I had Frosted Flakes cause they're Grrrrreat!) and 3/4 of a liter of non-refridgerated milk from a box. Tyler and I chose Heineken to wash down our cereal while Jason drank an entire 2 liter of Pepsi! I am now a strong supporter of Kellog's placing a warning on their cereal boxes about consuming in moderation and not mixing with alcohol; the amount and combination really does a number on your bowel movements! Along with that fantastic meal, we played an intense card game of Egyptian Rat Screw followed by an intense 10 person round of Oreo Madness! All of that, combined with an earlier sunset photo shoot/ hill climbing excursion, made for an amazing trip. Oh, we also stopped to see some windmills that seemed to impress some people: same old, same old.
Finally, yesterday, the 8th, I was put into a state of extreme wonder and awe as I saw the professional European version of Sparkle! If you dn't know Sparkle, you probably don't know the true meaning of the words: breath-taking, elegant, fashionable, and fergalicious. For those of you who do not know Sparkle, Sparkle is the dance group that catapulted me to stardom. Anyway, this European version combined acrobatics on a trampoline, juggling, climbing up poles like only monkeys can, and of course, dancing in spandex! Wow! Let me say it again, wow! If that doesn't make someone like Spain, nothing can. On a side note, I miss you all and, while I'm loving Spain, it will be good to see most of you in a few months.
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