2006

this will be a year of dance.
and Jesus is leading.

what would you die for?

read a great book yesterday.
ted dekkers martyrs song.
niina has written about the
power of stories on her blog a while ago,
worth to take a look.

and there really is power in stories

many dekkers books, stories, novels
have influenced me so much.
telling the gospel in the form of a story,
really inspiring and captivating.
changes hearts.

martyrs song tells a short story
about a little village in serbia in the time
of the second world war, and what
it can actually mean to follow Christ.

a small taster of the book :)
" `take this in remembrance of me`
Christ had said. Participate in the suffering of Christ,
Paul had said. And yet so many americans turned
forgetting into a kind of spiritual badge, refusing
to memorialize suffering for fear they might catch
it like a disease. Indeed, they stripped Christ of his
dignity by ignoring the brutality of his death.
The choice was no different than turning away
from apuffy-faced leper in horror. The epitome of rejection."

someone has said
unless you found something worth dying for
do you really have anything to live for either?
well said.

skating with mormons and that kind of stuff

one of the best weekends ever!

friday
me, tytti and milka (my roommates) went to skate (though without skates) with mormons. I met them in an independence party during my training. now they are coming to our place on friday, we are going to cook for them and hang out together. cool. Ive never known any mormons before.
the skating thing was cool. and so something we as followers of Jesus should do. or something like it anyways. cause they were just being friendly and nice to everyone on the rink and serving drinks and sausages. they have the community thing quite well together.
I also met couple of my muslimfriends later that evening. and again learned that they do things bettter than me :) somehow they had got to know this really sweet girl by just starting to talk with her on the street. and now I think she on almost on the edge of being a muslim.

but well, Im almost glad Im seeing these things happening. maybe it will finally frustrate me enough, so that I will start to act and not just whine about it. I once said to a friend that we, with milka, thought about writing our own thesis like luther, and he just said: why not just rarther being the thesis wherever you are. -right, excatly. thanks for reminding.

anyways friday was super. and Im really waiting to get to know the mormons more, and learn to interact with people better. I really have a lot to learn on that.. not sure if Im even going to the mosque some day. religions all around :) Im so glad to learn to live in the kingdom of God!

saturday
we went to a second hand-marketplace to sell our clothes. nice people, had a nice time. had even some money from it.

sunday
dyed mine and tyttis hair. did a cookiehouse. gave out baked rolls to our neighbours. went to sing christmas carols in swedish. went to give the cookiehouse to our friends and ended up staying there quite late. playing, laughing, having a great time! best best best.

today back in school. had an exam. only one and a half weeks, then holidays.

guidance needed please.

I was kind of offered a job today for the summer. again.
this would be for 6 weeks, if I would get it, and take it.
and I have no idea, what I should do during next summer.
(dreams I do have conserning it. maybe a bit too much even :))
and, it feels funny to even think about it yet, cause its kind of far.

and then, Ive got a new alternative for my international training time.
it seems, that doors to israel are opening, but now to know, which is the right one.
there is this volunteer program in palestine.. sounds quite exciting.

well, all in good time.

my training in the congregation ends tomorrow. then should get back to school still for couple of weeks before the holidays. holidays, holidays, hooray! christmas, family, candles, friends, good food, relaxing, london. great.

proverb

a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

nothing special

my steps were really light today.
I like christmas,
boys smiling.
paper stores,
people. they are so beautiful. everyone.
customers sitting in cafes,
lights that shine out from warm houses.
and today, a feeling that brought london in my mind.

lately I have missed london again a bit more. the city in itself, and the feeling I had while living there. waiting for the bus, meeting familiar faces in speakers corner, opening the front door, buying ice cream from the korean man, the men at the internet place. good times. not good to remember too much, or Ill miss too much. luckily Im going there in january.
and anyways, right now I am just happy being. where I am.
now I need to go, and make some candles.

ode to the city

musicians invite christmas in the air
your high roofs climb to the skies

light steps on your streets ask
can anyone rejoice without Him?

you light up your lights, resist the dark, get ready for the night.

smiling, good to walk your routes.

father gives his love,
paints your sky purple.

greatest bus driver ever

yesterday my ride home was hilarious.

(just first as a backround something about finnish bus-culture.
especially in helsinki. you step in to the bus. sometimes the busdriver even
says hi to you, or responses to your greeting. normally you find a free seat.
so that you wont have to sit besides a stranger. and you never start talking with
the people on the bus. when you get out, its very rarely than someone yells thanks!
to the driver)

so yesterday, as the bus left the station, the driver started to yell from his drivingbooth (or whatever it is called) Have you had a nice day? Should we sing some christmas carols?
people smiled, laughed a bit nervously and stared each other wondering what on earth is going on.
the driver kept on chatting. everytime someone got out of the bus he yelled: thanks, bye. have a nice day!
it was about four people who said something back at him.

at some point the driver even sang alone. and asked people when they entered the bus : you know any good christmas carols? people were SO confused. it was great!

I just thought how easy it really is to brighten up someones day. just by acting normal like you would with your friends, being open and talking with people. and what really spoke to me, was how the driver didnt care what people thought, if they labeled him nuts or didnt response to him. and didnt care these silly unspoken cultural rules how you shouldnt talk with strangers.
and the athmosphere was quite contagious. maybe that would be one way of spreading the kingdom and the fragrance of Christ.