A few years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the band Kye Kye. I probably owe him a home-cooked meal, a medal, or something to say "thanks" for the introduction. Their "sound" is hard to categorize; a mix of excellent sounds and enriching lyrics. I really enjoyed their first two albums, but their latest album is definitely a step up. It was one of two albums that I have ever purchased through iTunes. That's significant. You can too, here! :)
And now the story comes full circle...
Me: Blog reader, I would like to introduce you to Kye Kye.
You: (smile and say "hello")
Me: Kye Kye, this is my blog reader.
Kye Kye: Hi! (smiles)
You: (say something polite like "nice to meet you")
Me: Well, I'll leave you two to get to know each other... Annnnnnd, you're welcome!
Here is a glimpse at their latest music;
PS-the band members originally come from our "upstairs" Baltic neighbors, Estonia. As my friends up there say, "very gooooooood!"
3/13/14
3/8/14
Four Chairs
The conference was great!
Dann Spader is truly an inspiring leader. You can't be around him long without seeing how much He loves Jesus! He is one of the best and most passionate teachers I have ever heard on the life of Jesus. He teaches with such wisdom and humility that comes from over 40 years of studying and walking with Jesus. What an example! Over the two days he continually challenged us to "walk as Jesus walked."
Group discussion time
A panel discussion on discipleship
Q&A
Our good friends from Estonia!
Our conference team
If you want to see more of my pictures, click here. I also included a video that a friend of ours made about the conference (you can select subtitles by clicking on the "CC" and choosing English or none);
Dann Spader is truly an inspiring leader. You can't be around him long without seeing how much He loves Jesus! He is one of the best and most passionate teachers I have ever heard on the life of Jesus. He teaches with such wisdom and humility that comes from over 40 years of studying and walking with Jesus. What an example! Over the two days he continually challenged us to "walk as Jesus walked."
Group discussion time
A panel discussion on discipleship
Q&A
Our good friends from Estonia!
Our conference team
If you want to see more of my pictures, click here. I also included a video that a friend of ours made about the conference (you can select subtitles by clicking on the "CC" and choosing English or none);
2/25/14
2/10/14
Faith In A Broken World
We are living in crazy times! The world around us seems to be gradually going mad. So much violence and perversion everywhere. As followers of Jesus, how should we respond?
To read our latest support update click here.
To read our latest support update click here.
1/4/14
1/2/14
2014
Did 2013 really come and go that quick?!?? Where has the time gone?
I'm a year older and (hopefully) a year wiser. 2013 was a tough one. Now it's 2014.
What will your next 365 days be about? How do you want to grow this year? What do you hope to remember 2014 for?
I'm a year older and (hopefully) a year wiser. 2013 was a tough one. Now it's 2014.
What will your next 365 days be about? How do you want to grow this year? What do you hope to remember 2014 for?
12/31/13
Goodbye Lats!
January 1st (tomorrow) is the day that the official currency in Latvia will switch over to the euro. This will be the second time in history that Latvian lat will be phased out.
The Economist wrote an article "Lat it be" on the history of the lat and its last days in Latvia. A country having its own currency is a always bit charming and time will show if joining the Eurozone was a good thing for Latvia. I'm certainly not an economist and can't say if it will end up helping or hurting Latvia's economy, but I'm a bit sentimental to see the lat go!
Paldies Latiņam
by Aarzem Nieki
Ir pienācis brīdis, lai atvadītos
no drauga, kas bija ar mums.
Ja dažreiz viņš arī man nebija blakus,
tas bija liels zaudējums.
Jau lidostā pirmais, kas sagaida mani,
ir autobuss sabiedriskais.
Par piecdesmit santīmiem mājās es tikšu-
tas taču galvenais.
Konduktors saka: „Man žēl,
bet par koferi piecdesmit vēl!"
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
Viss sākās ar lasi, kas šodien man varbūt
Vēl kabatā mētājās,
Un stārķis, kas draugos ar sēni un skudru,
Par dzīvi šo bēdājās..
Pat skursteņu slauķim, tam nebija laika
Laimi no jumtiem man nest,
Un Pētera baznīcā tagad ir klusi,
Jo gaili laiks līdzi vest.
Vilciens jau debesīs brauc,
Vēl pēdējam iekāpt ir ļauts..
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
Kas esi tu, svešais, no kurienes nāc,
Lūk tāds ir mans jautājums,
Vai būsi tu kārtīgs un uzticams draugs,
Un paliksi vienmēr ar mums?
Kāpēc tik grūti ko jaunu ir sākt,
Kad vecais vēl derīgs mums šķiet,
Kaut zinām, ka gailim un skursteņu slauķim
Tur augšā tik labi iet?
Nāc, milda, man drīz kabatā
Tur laša vairs nav tik un tā.
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
Paldies Latiņam
by Aarzem Nieki
Ir pienācis brīdis, lai atvadītos
no drauga, kas bija ar mums.
Ja dažreiz viņš arī man nebija blakus,
tas bija liels zaudējums.
Jau lidostā pirmais, kas sagaida mani,
ir autobuss sabiedriskais.
Par piecdesmit santīmiem mājās es tikšu-
tas taču galvenais.
Konduktors saka: „Man žēl,
bet par koferi piecdesmit vēl!"
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
Viss sākās ar lasi, kas šodien man varbūt
Vēl kabatā mētājās,
Un stārķis, kas draugos ar sēni un skudru,
Par dzīvi šo bēdājās..
Pat skursteņu slauķim, tam nebija laika
Laimi no jumtiem man nest,
Un Pētera baznīcā tagad ir klusi,
Jo gaili laiks līdzi vest.
Vilciens jau debesīs brauc,
Vēl pēdējam iekāpt ir ļauts..
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
Kas esi tu, svešais, no kurienes nāc,
Lūk tāds ir mans jautājums,
Vai būsi tu kārtīgs un uzticams draugs,
Un paliksi vienmēr ar mums?
Kāpēc tik grūti ko jaunu ir sākt,
Kad vecais vēl derīgs mums šķiet,
Kaut zinām, ka gailim un skursteņu slauķim
Tur augšā tik labi iet?
Nāc, milda, man drīz kabatā
Tur laša vairs nav tik un tā.
Paldies Latinjam, Latinjam...
12/10/13
My Current Jams
There have been two albums that have been like medicine to my soul over the last two weeks. Wanted to share them with the rest of you!
Beautiful songs with simple and worshipful lyrics. Highly recommended! You can download the album for free (or leave a tip) below;
The Loud Harp guys talking about how their debut album came about;
1) Loud Harp - Loud Harp
Beautiful songs with simple and worshipful lyrics. Highly recommended! You can download the album for free (or leave a tip) below;
The Loud Harp guys talking about how their debut album came about;
2) Dustin Kensrue - The Water & The Blood
Dustin was the lead singer of one of my all-time favorite bands, Thrice. He recently stepped away from touring with the band to take on a position as worship pastor at Mars Hill Church in Bellevue. This is his first official solo release in the "worship" genre and each song on the album is powerful and Gospel-centered. Very highly recommended! You can stream the album for free here, or buy the album on iTunes or from Mars Hill Music here.12/2/13
YouTube of the Month: December
To close out the year, I wanted to post a video that represented the last 12 months well. This clip is a compilation of different scenes from the movie "The Tree of Life," set to a song from the film, John Tavener's "Funeral Canticle." It is a visually stunning movie with a powerful story that shows much of the beauty and ugly in life. Just like the movie, 2013 was a year for us that was filled with much growth, joy, sorrow and trials. "The Tree of Life" was my favorite movie I saw this year, and thought it is not an "easy" film to watch, I highly recommend it!
11/28/13
11/26/13
Tragedy in Zolitūde
You may have already heard the news about the recent tragedy that struck Latvia this past week (BBC article here and Wikipedia article here). Last Thursday night at around six o'clock a section of the roof at a local Maxima supermarket collapsed, killing 54 people. Three of those were firemen who had rushed into the building to help the injured when a second section of the roof collapsed on them. Many children lost one or both of their parents. It is the largest single loss of life since Latvia regained its independence in 1991. Things like these are hard to make sense of. Latvia is in a state of shock and observed a three-day national grieving period.
Obviously the grieving process will take much longer; but I have been encouraged by glimpses of the hope in the midst of tragedy! The response of the Latvian people to help those affected by this event has been incredible! Within hours there were many people at the site passing out food, hot drinks, and blankets to relief workers and those waiting in the cold for loved ones who were still trapped in the building. Thousands lined up to donate blood for those who had been injured. So far, 796,156 Ls (over $1,541,000) has been donated to local charities to support and care for the families who were most affected. A sea of flowers and candles (below) covered the ground at the accident side. Non-stop news coverage of the tragedy is a norm in our information obsessed world, but the fact that Latvian news stations were broadcasting commercial-free is a refreshing slap in the face of our money-driven world.
All that to say, Latvia needs your prayers! 54 lives were lost, dozens are still in the hospital, and hundreds more were affected that day. We had a girl from our local Rīga Fusion ministry who was working at the store when the roof collapsed. By the grace of God she made it out safely, but she has barely slept since it happened. You could pray for her and the many others who have been affected as they return to a new "normal" life.
Obviously the grieving process will take much longer; but I have been encouraged by glimpses of the hope in the midst of tragedy! The response of the Latvian people to help those affected by this event has been incredible! Within hours there were many people at the site passing out food, hot drinks, and blankets to relief workers and those waiting in the cold for loved ones who were still trapped in the building. Thousands lined up to donate blood for those who had been injured. So far, 796,156 Ls (over $1,541,000) has been donated to local charities to support and care for the families who were most affected. A sea of flowers and candles (below) covered the ground at the accident side. Non-stop news coverage of the tragedy is a norm in our information obsessed world, but the fact that Latvian news stations were broadcasting commercial-free is a refreshing slap in the face of our money-driven world.
All that to say, Latvia needs your prayers! 54 lives were lost, dozens are still in the hospital, and hundreds more were affected that day. We had a girl from our local Rīga Fusion ministry who was working at the store when the roof collapsed. By the grace of God she made it out safely, but she has barely slept since it happened. You could pray for her and the many others who have been affected as they return to a new "normal" life.
11/14/13
YouTube of the Month: Movember Edition
Since this is a special month for us as men, I thought I would post a tribute to one of man's finest features. Enjoy!
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