kittles and tidbits

books highly recommended:
"Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" by Sophie Kinsella
"Abba's Child" by Brennan Manning
"To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller
"The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis

yesterday i went to the library to look at the ever popular range of VHS movies (i walked away with "The Graduate," "Snow Falling on Cedars," and one of my favorites "Dead Poet's Society"). i then decided to mosey back to the english section and picked up three books, one of them being "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan." i read all 323 pages last night. a great, mindless read.

i'm going to a sufjan stevens concert november 12th!! i've never been to a "real" concert (cafe shows and carmen's 1989 "radically saved" tour don't count) and my prayer is that my good friend sufjan would enjoy the presence of a fellow american backstage. i'm quite excited - it will be a fun-filled night in the city (oslo) with friends and good music.

and the last little tidbit of news... i am taking a norwegian test on monday to see where i should be placed in a class. i'm quite scared. i've been here for two years (actually, only 16 months if i'm quite anal about it) and let's just say that i don't wow anyone with my communication skills. i've been taught and have taught that language should be first priority when going to a country and i have sadly pushed that in the back of my mind when i realized that most people speak english and realized how difficult it really is. it didn't help that one of the first phrases someone taught me was the equivalent to "i pooped my pants," telling me it meant "i am beautiful." i was later taught the F-bomb, thinking it was how to say "fantastic. oh well, i guess i have the next 9 months to redeem all that.

check this out: written by yours truly.

i'm at grimerud, the main base for ywam norway. we've had our national conference and now we're in the middle of dts training. i haven't heard much new info or wisdom, but today i went to a seminar about calling/mission statements. i left quite provoked. maybe it's normal to ask yourself, "am i really where God wants me? am i in His will?" but at this point in my life, those questions take my breath away. i get this sense that something new is right around the corner and it scares me. i can't remember ever feeling this unsettled. am i the only 20-something who feels this way? i came to norway sure of the calling on my life, and after 2 years of being surrounded by mostly those who are still searching i find myself questioning and wondering if i've been as pro-active as i should have been in living out my call.

in this seminar we went through the Bible and looked at Moses, Joseph, John the Baptist. do you realize that John the Baptist spent his entire life preparing for only 6 months of ministry? imagine that Joseph's family hated him, sold him into slavery, he was unjustly accused, thrown into prison, forgotten, but he passed the test and was used mightily of God. it doesn't seem that being in the center of God's will always be easy. crap. but i can honestly say that i would never trade being in God's will for an "easy" lifestyle (even if that lifestyle included daily non-fat, extra hot gingerbread lattes from starbucks). it just wouldn't be worth it in the end.

this is great. i empathize with this guy.

a little rain on the parade

i just had a visit from pretty much the cutest girl i know. you can check out her blog here. she escapes from her house and before i know it, i hear a little "tap, tap, tap" on our door. i think she may just come because i give her m&m's (i say, "vil du ha en sjokolade?" and her little face lights up), but today we also shared an apple and danced to a little bob dylan. she makes me smile.

i needed to be cheered up today. i received a phone call yesterday from my mom telling me my grandfather passed away. i wasn't particular close to him but felt immensely sad - sad for so many reasons, so many people. i know it's hard to go through death when you encounter it face to face, but when you're thousands of miles away, helpless and somewhat alone because no one knows your history with that person... i really can't put it in words. it consumes my thoughts, yet i want to run from it. God is speaking many things through this.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91.1,2

my dad. me.
my mom. me.
norway. 80's, rain. nice.
i've been in the office the past couple days - not much to do, but have caught up on emailing and such. my apartment is empty which has made for a quiet transition back.
i've had time to think through the coming year and i'm positive about what is to come. new opportunities and possibilities create an infectious atmosphere.
next week it's off to the ywam norway's worker's gathering and dts training.