how to live.

...He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

ecclesiastes 3:11-12.

here are some pictures taken on my pa's old film camera that i carry sometimes. these images are somewhat scattered, but nice reminders of so many different moments. many of these are taken in old french mountain towns. others in our quiet granny flat in provence, where i spent lots of afternoons inside, asking Jesus to inspire my dissertation writing. and some sweet images taking me back to jolly nights with friends in glasgow, and afternoon wanderings with my very dearest friend.

all of them remind me of how to live.

with Him.

la mer de pianos.

La Mer de Pianos from Films & Things on Vimeo.

"but it's about finding a part so that a historic piano can sing again."

lately.

“In those days, we finally chose to walk like giants and hold the world in arms grown strong with love. And there may be many things we forget in the days to come, but this will not be one of them.” -brian andreas.

bless them with your patience.

I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June

and you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny too

you know I’m not asking much of you

just sing little darling sing with me.


so much i know that things just don’t grow

if you don’t bless them with your patience

and I’ve been there before

i held up the door for every stranger with a promise

but I’m holding back

that’s the strength that i lack

every morning keeps returning at my window

and it brings me to you and i won't just pass through

but I’m not asking for a storm...

it troubled me to trouble you.

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call this Christianity?” We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.

When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, “I will never accept anything from anyone.” But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).

A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.

-oswald, 1.11

"we had the same feeling at opposite time"

...speak clearly he said but didn't see

he acted that way and held me like a cup

fill me up and pour me out, they realize the doubt

we had the same feeling at opposite time...

first off, whoever broke feist's heart was a dummy. but the melodies that came out of it are woah-ing. so glad that feist made beauty out of tragedy.

given over; no giving up...

park in berlin.

i want this year to be marked with a much deeper surrender of everything i have, i am, i want, and i know, to Him. all the things i've wrestled with, and all those things i've held too tightly, i give to Him...not because i'm sure of anything, but because He deserves it. He deserves more than i could possibly contain or be. i don't want to hold anything back from Him anymore...those things i felt i knew, that it turns out i really really didn't.

i have soundtracks for some of my dearests, and i hold those songs as runes in my heart, evidence of our times together, who they are to me, and who i learned to be for them. i hope that when the Lord thinks of me, this refrain swells up in His ears.

//you can have all this world. but give me Jesus.\\