Go to: www.thesoundoflights.blogspot.com
It's where I'm continuing my blogging... - Craig
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The end of a trip, but the beginning of a new season back home...
Well, this is my last entry from London...
...but probably not my last post. Being vulnerable is a scary thing, because you start to let yourself go and it can show in your writing... but, that's a good thing. I intend to continue writing. I may design a new blog site and if I do I'll let you all know when it launches.
My time in the UK has very much been a mixture of many things. The whole experience has given me a fresh perspective on the way things REALLY are over here, contrary to popular beliefs and myths... I was also fortunate to meet lots of people and find lights truly striving to "shine in the darkness" of this very intense "business as usual" city - perhaps important for many to live and work in, but certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Upon returning home to all that I have known for most of my life, I hope that this coming season will be a time for me to reflect upon what it was really all about out here, what God wants me to learn from this and where he might be taking me in the future...
I do look forward to what God has in store for me back in Minneapolis... I feel it's definitely the time to "get back to where I once belonged". My heart feels like it's being fueled up with ideas and desires to do much more in my native land than ever before.
I also look forward to doing a lot more music-related projects once I get back. I've been able to work on some ideas for new songs out here. A couple of them birthed out of a very Spirit-led jam session I had with the Camden people. Whatever comes of these ideas, I'm very excited to collaborate with my musician friends, old and new, once I get home! I feel like God has really shown me me how important music is to him and how it flows right along with how we pray to him...
There are also, of course, a few things to take care of - job, a place to live and all of the other practical things of life. God will provide. He always does. Just seeing how he brought me through everything out here in the UK is a testimony to his power and love. He never overlooks what we need.
I'm to fly out of Gatwick tomorrow at around noon and get back in Minneapolis at around 3:30 p.m. My friends, I've missed you all; my family, I love you dearly; and Cosmo, the bichon frise (my parents' dog), I look forward to petting you, my little canine brother!!! =)
Once I'm fully recovered from the usual culture shock and jet lag, it'd be great to see many of you and share stories and hear about what's been going on back home in Minnesota too...
Craig
...but probably not my last post. Being vulnerable is a scary thing, because you start to let yourself go and it can show in your writing... but, that's a good thing. I intend to continue writing. I may design a new blog site and if I do I'll let you all know when it launches.
My time in the UK has very much been a mixture of many things. The whole experience has given me a fresh perspective on the way things REALLY are over here, contrary to popular beliefs and myths... I was also fortunate to meet lots of people and find lights truly striving to "shine in the darkness" of this very intense "business as usual" city - perhaps important for many to live and work in, but certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Upon returning home to all that I have known for most of my life, I hope that this coming season will be a time for me to reflect upon what it was really all about out here, what God wants me to learn from this and where he might be taking me in the future...
I do look forward to what God has in store for me back in Minneapolis... I feel it's definitely the time to "get back to where I once belonged". My heart feels like it's being fueled up with ideas and desires to do much more in my native land than ever before.
I also look forward to doing a lot more music-related projects once I get back. I've been able to work on some ideas for new songs out here. A couple of them birthed out of a very Spirit-led jam session I had with the Camden people. Whatever comes of these ideas, I'm very excited to collaborate with my musician friends, old and new, once I get home! I feel like God has really shown me me how important music is to him and how it flows right along with how we pray to him...
There are also, of course, a few things to take care of - job, a place to live and all of the other practical things of life. God will provide. He always does. Just seeing how he brought me through everything out here in the UK is a testimony to his power and love. He never overlooks what we need.
I'm to fly out of Gatwick tomorrow at around noon and get back in Minneapolis at around 3:30 p.m. My friends, I've missed you all; my family, I love you dearly; and Cosmo, the bichon frise (my parents' dog), I look forward to petting you, my little canine brother!!! =)
Once I'm fully recovered from the usual culture shock and jet lag, it'd be great to see many of you and share stories and hear about what's been going on back home in Minnesota too...
Craig
Sunday, November 4, 2007
My Last Weekend in England...
No, this isn't my last blog entry. It might be one of the last I post for this trip but I hope to continue a blog after I get back home.
On Saturday night, I went to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End to see Shakespeare's Macbeth. It was a good production but Patrick Stewart's voice was really wiped out and you could hear him wheezing and cracking up whenever he raised his voice. Another interesting thing is that I sat next to a gentleman named Robert Cohen who is a professor of drama at the University of California, Irvine. Apparently, he is friends with Patrick Stewart and they chatted briefly before the show. From what he told me, Stewart was having trouble with his voice on Saturday and was seriously considering opting out of the performance for that night. Fortunately, he was a trooper and despite his occasional vocal cracks and slips, he pulled off a stellar performance.
It was great chatting with Robert before and after the show. He goes back quite a ways in the theatre world and has a lot of productions under his belt. I guess it would seem natural that somewhere along the way, being someone like him, you would meet people like Patrick Stewart who take the craft of stage performance very seriously indeed...
The other interesting thing about my night in the Gielgud Theatre was my throat problem which seemed to escalate... I've had this cold for a few days and of all the nights, it had to be in a London West End theatre! I felt like I had to make undesired noises consistently in order to "cough out" the deep itch that seemed to never go away in the back of my throat... the Halls cough drops I kept trying to quietly unwrap amidst sensitive ears around me didn't really help and as I sat their watching a stellar production admidst a very respectful audience (from which you would hear the occasional cough or throat-clearing), I held back for dear life. I just sat there praying for strength to be silent...
In fact, there were moments where I so badly wanted to cough, yet fought with such resistence, that STREAMS OF TEARS fell down my face... I was definitely feeling the pain with Patrick as he barked like a sick dog up on stage! Hahahahaha...
I wanted to save for myself an opportunity to splurge a little and have a really nice meal at a restaurant near the end of my trip. So, a couple of hours before the show, I sought a reasonably priced restaurant near Piccadilly Circus (very difficult to do!)... one place that people had been telling me about was this Cheers restaurant inspired from the hit TV show.
I was never a fan, but this restaurant ultimately satisfied my craving for American food and a nice light beer. The meal was quite satisfying... apart from nobody knowing my name! What's their problem?!?! I felt jipped! j/k =)
On Saturday night, I went to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End to see Shakespeare's Macbeth. It was a good production but Patrick Stewart's voice was really wiped out and you could hear him wheezing and cracking up whenever he raised his voice. Another interesting thing is that I sat next to a gentleman named Robert Cohen who is a professor of drama at the University of California, Irvine. Apparently, he is friends with Patrick Stewart and they chatted briefly before the show. From what he told me, Stewart was having trouble with his voice on Saturday and was seriously considering opting out of the performance for that night. Fortunately, he was a trooper and despite his occasional vocal cracks and slips, he pulled off a stellar performance.
It was great chatting with Robert before and after the show. He goes back quite a ways in the theatre world and has a lot of productions under his belt. I guess it would seem natural that somewhere along the way, being someone like him, you would meet people like Patrick Stewart who take the craft of stage performance very seriously indeed...
The other interesting thing about my night in the Gielgud Theatre was my throat problem which seemed to escalate... I've had this cold for a few days and of all the nights, it had to be in a London West End theatre! I felt like I had to make undesired noises consistently in order to "cough out" the deep itch that seemed to never go away in the back of my throat... the Halls cough drops I kept trying to quietly unwrap amidst sensitive ears around me didn't really help and as I sat their watching a stellar production admidst a very respectful audience (from which you would hear the occasional cough or throat-clearing), I held back for dear life. I just sat there praying for strength to be silent...
In fact, there were moments where I so badly wanted to cough, yet fought with such resistence, that STREAMS OF TEARS fell down my face... I was definitely feeling the pain with Patrick as he barked like a sick dog up on stage! Hahahahaha...
I wanted to save for myself an opportunity to splurge a little and have a really nice meal at a restaurant near the end of my trip. So, a couple of hours before the show, I sought a reasonably priced restaurant near Piccadilly Circus (very difficult to do!)... one place that people had been telling me about was this Cheers restaurant inspired from the hit TV show.
I was never a fan, but this restaurant ultimately satisfied my craving for American food and a nice light beer. The meal was quite satisfying... apart from nobody knowing my name! What's their problem?!?! I felt jipped! j/k =)
Saturday, November 3, 2007
And what a brilliant breakfast it was...
...especially since I've had a cold... tea with the egg and beans on toast hit the spot!
I'm off to the West End tonight to see Macbeth with Patrick Stewart!!!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Candid shot from Wimbledon a week ago...
Creating my own kind of "waves" after a CrossedWaves Church service... =)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
And we all sang "The light, the light, the light, the light... the life!"
Allow me to introduce you to the Freedomhouse "gang"... the following two pictures were taken after a very Holy Spirit-led jam session full of melodies and Bible verses being sung among us all... BRILLIANT time I had!!! - Freedomhouse is soon to merge with another church, the Beacon, which meets in the building where this picture was taken...
From left to right - Steve (24-7 Prayer, works with the North London boiler room scene, the Beacon), me, Brandon (pastor, originally from California, Freedomhouse), Daniel (prayer encourager, Freedomhouse), Mark (artist, Freedomhouse), girl 1 (forgot her name, Freedomhouse), Jenny? (Freedomhouse)...
The only difference in this picture is that Daniel is taking the picture and Chinelo (from Minneapolis, now living in London) is in the middle...
I'm starting to get a cold, but it may not be a bad one... Today, I mustered up enough energy to go and pray with Rob and friends who are starting up the Bridge (www.thebridgecollective.com) which I'm really excited about. Rob and I made sure to get a picture of us making good use of British icons - tea kettles and a firm, British expression as I hold a cup of hot drink... =)
Am I "Cancer Bat" No. 2? =) Look at his shirt... I think he told me the Cancer Bats are a metal band...
The Bridge launches on November 18th... please pray for them because I feel like they're new family overseas that I'd like to continue to keep in contact with... they're trusting God put to put together the Bridge and form it to his purposes... I feel like they have a very similar heart to reaching people as we do back home at my church...
From left to right - Steve (24-7 Prayer, works with the North London boiler room scene, the Beacon), me, Brandon (pastor, originally from California, Freedomhouse), Daniel (prayer encourager, Freedomhouse), Mark (artist, Freedomhouse), girl 1 (forgot her name, Freedomhouse), Jenny? (Freedomhouse)...
The only difference in this picture is that Daniel is taking the picture and Chinelo (from Minneapolis, now living in London) is in the middle...
I'm starting to get a cold, but it may not be a bad one... Today, I mustered up enough energy to go and pray with Rob and friends who are starting up the Bridge (www.thebridgecollective.com) which I'm really excited about. Rob and I made sure to get a picture of us making good use of British icons - tea kettles and a firm, British expression as I hold a cup of hot drink... =)
Am I "Cancer Bat" No. 2? =) Look at his shirt... I think he told me the Cancer Bats are a metal band...
The Bridge launches on November 18th... please pray for them because I feel like they're new family overseas that I'd like to continue to keep in contact with... they're trusting God put to put together the Bridge and form it to his purposes... I feel like they have a very similar heart to reaching people as we do back home at my church...
Monday, October 29, 2007
...seeing God build "The Bridge"...
Tonight, I met with Rob - a New Yorker guy who's one year shy of me (29) who came out to London back in 2000 or 2001. He's a connection I made through this guy, Steve, who is affiliated with 24-7 Prayer and formerly kind of an overseer of the prayer room activity in the North London area. He has a good-sized mohawk but when he approached me on the street tonight, he had a hat on... at first I thought he chopped it off, but thankfully not. Rob is launching a church on November 18th called The Bridge. From what he told me of it, it sounds like we're on the same page... it's going to be a place that meets people where they're at, no matter how ugly or chaotic the circumstances or lifestyle - just wanting to show God's love to those who are typically pigeon-holed or labeled as this or that, but truly loving them because God calls us to love unconditionally. As we spoke, I felt a true kinship start to develop because WOW, CAN I TELL HIM of a very similar thing that's going on in Minneapolis and how lives are being transformed in and around my church back home...
Rob would like to visit Minneapolis someday. I told him he would be more than welcome.
I've had a lot of profound conversations over the past few days, I must say. Conversations with guys at the Freedom House Church... the exhortation, encouragement and advise between one another has been very treasured... Chinelo and I also met over the weekend and it was good to have a very long venting time about the frustrations one can feel in London, but it was also a time of encouragement and we spoke of how we both feel God really wants to transform the soil of this place to make it his field again... to rejuvenate the spiritual soil of this very hardened place...
Doing church the way we've done church by default just isn't going to cut it anymore. God is calling for us not to rethink church and try to go head-over-heels trying to make it "relevant" for people and unbelievers, but I truly feel he's asking us just to be who we are - go to the streets, be WITH the homeless, be WITH the broken, mourn WITH them but also encourage them and experience joy with them... not sit in a building, once a week, and feel like a Christian by default... because that's not living for God! That's thinking "I've got a ticket to heaven, so I'm just going to go through the motions, live my life the way I want to, and then play Mr. or Mrs. Christian every week!" No no no!
Okay, I'm starting to preach now... but, you catch my drift...
Much to pray about, consider and just rest my head upon for now... I miss all of you back in Minneapolis. Have a fun and safe week... I and the people at Freedom House church are going to stand in front of Camden Town Station for Halloween with a Confession Booth... and we're going to dress up and I think we're going to do something along the lines of confessing things to people as they walk by... pray that God makes that something effective, whatever we do! =) I'll be bringing my guitar and doing some songs too...
Oh, I just want you guys to know that my original intention for this blog was to just update you on what I've been doing, but since most of you know I'm a follower of Christ, I just have to share the things my heart feels... and if you feel things the Spirit of God is showing you, they are often very distressing things... there has been a bit of distress in this country, but it's normal for me to feel that because I'm among many other Christians who feel the war waging in the realms we can't see... but, believe me, no matter how up or down I may get, God NEVER CHANGES and his purposes are always for our good and for his glory... =)
It's been MORE THAN WORTH IT to be out here, my friends and family...
Rob would like to visit Minneapolis someday. I told him he would be more than welcome.
I've had a lot of profound conversations over the past few days, I must say. Conversations with guys at the Freedom House Church... the exhortation, encouragement and advise between one another has been very treasured... Chinelo and I also met over the weekend and it was good to have a very long venting time about the frustrations one can feel in London, but it was also a time of encouragement and we spoke of how we both feel God really wants to transform the soil of this place to make it his field again... to rejuvenate the spiritual soil of this very hardened place...
Doing church the way we've done church by default just isn't going to cut it anymore. God is calling for us not to rethink church and try to go head-over-heels trying to make it "relevant" for people and unbelievers, but I truly feel he's asking us just to be who we are - go to the streets, be WITH the homeless, be WITH the broken, mourn WITH them but also encourage them and experience joy with them... not sit in a building, once a week, and feel like a Christian by default... because that's not living for God! That's thinking "I've got a ticket to heaven, so I'm just going to go through the motions, live my life the way I want to, and then play Mr. or Mrs. Christian every week!" No no no!
Okay, I'm starting to preach now... but, you catch my drift...
Much to pray about, consider and just rest my head upon for now... I miss all of you back in Minneapolis. Have a fun and safe week... I and the people at Freedom House church are going to stand in front of Camden Town Station for Halloween with a Confession Booth... and we're going to dress up and I think we're going to do something along the lines of confessing things to people as they walk by... pray that God makes that something effective, whatever we do! =) I'll be bringing my guitar and doing some songs too...
Oh, I just want you guys to know that my original intention for this blog was to just update you on what I've been doing, but since most of you know I'm a follower of Christ, I just have to share the things my heart feels... and if you feel things the Spirit of God is showing you, they are often very distressing things... there has been a bit of distress in this country, but it's normal for me to feel that because I'm among many other Christians who feel the war waging in the realms we can't see... but, believe me, no matter how up or down I may get, God NEVER CHANGES and his purposes are always for our good and for his glory... =)
It's been MORE THAN WORTH IT to be out here, my friends and family...
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