Monday, April 18, 2011

YWAM is Not For Sale


Renee Hong, one of our graphic design students from the Marriage of The Arts DTS, created this amazing video for our Not For Sale conference way back in November to raise awareness for Human Trafficking. Well, this week CNN picked it up as a feature for their Freedom Project iReporter short films. So cool to know that we really can be a voice for the voiceless in the media! Check out the article here >> CNN iReport On Modern Slavery

Friday, April 15, 2011

On Pain & Beauty

The Grey Goose

"He was suddenly overwhelmed by the revelation that what makes life worth living is, precisely, the emotions. But, then -- this was awful! -- maybe girls with their tears and laughter were getting more out of life. Shattering! He checked himself: showing one's emotions was not the thing: having them was. Still, he was dizzy with the revelation. What is beauty but something that is responded to with emotion? Courage, at least partly, is emotional. All the splendour of life. But if the best of life is, in fact, emotional, then one wanted the highest, purest emotions: and that meant joy. Joy was the highest. How did one find joy? In books it seemed to be found in love -- a great love -- though maybe for the saints there was joy in the love of God...So, if he wanted the heights of joy, he must have, if he could find it, a great love. But in the books, again, great joy through love seemed always to go hand in hand with frightful pain. Still, he thought, looking out across the meadow, still, the joy would be worth the pain -- if, indeed, they went together. If there were a choice -- and he suspected there was -- a choice between, on the one hand, the heights and depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now chose the heights and the depths."
-Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Prague: Observed


This weekend I took a little solo-vacation to Prague in the Czech Republic. I just needed a few days of rest with no agenda and no stress. It was amazing! I stayed in my favorite hostel, Sir Toby's, tucked away in a quiet little neighborhood, and roamed the city somewhat aimlessly for four solid days. I read for hours in the palace gardens, rode the trams all over the city just for the heck of it, struck up conversations with strangers in coffee shops, and generally soaked up the splendor of Prague in 65-degree weather. Magical. I highly recommend it. 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Feeling Fancy


“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. 
This is to be my symphony.” 
 -William Henry Channing