Fade in...

So I am back, and once again the gray skies and drizzle of the midlands of England remind me of eternal wetness that is Birmingham haha. My room... is still a mess. Upon leaving for my month break I was forced to pack my dorm room up in a box and a duffel bag and now it still sits in that state, besides the stuff I ripped out of the duffel bag to get to my bed things so I could sleep. My closet is wide open and is about a 1/4 filled with clothes my failed attempt to get stuff put away. I am slightly procrastinating finishing and will most likely do it this weekend.
I slept in today and it was nice, a couple of odd dreams of friends and the like but sleeping is going well just like EATING!!! this was my food in take yesterday...

Breakfast: Bacon, eggs, Shredded wheat with milk
Lunch: A bunch of fries and fish big piece of cod
Dinner: Curry and bread, with green beans, and more fries, with an apple
Dinner II (At bible study) : Big plate of pasta with a really good meaty sauce, a cup of tea and another drink
Desert: Digestive cookies... like 5-8 of them haha

ya that was yesterday and thats the most so far, but that minus the second dinner has been everyday this week, crazy huh! I can't stop stuffing myself, after my being on foot for 30 days straight, I toned up a lot, so I have zero fat on my body it's all rippling muscle haha. No lie.

I've been reading like a maniac, highlighting up this Political Science book, good ideas, alittle spooky, about Europe dominating the 21st century, the author seems little disillusioned by his own ideas, but the fact is he's not to far from the truth. Europe is the new sleeping giant that no body is paying any attention to. 150 million more people than the US, a stronger networked economy and more and more countries wanting to join, with each addition they may get weakened in the short term, but end up galvanizing the European network in the long run. Might be worried about China now, but their economy is smaller than Italy! And europe joined is already dominating under the shadow and cover of the US headlines.
Even though right now I am frustrated with the low value of the dollar I guess it is working, our economy is picking up with our exports being cheaper to the world, but we keep spending and borrowing around the world over, so even though we are rising we are hollowing our insides out. None of that is from the book haha, just my observations. But it is irrelevant to most americans, as only 8% of americans have passports, which means only that many leave the country or have left the country in the past. So low value dollar abroad doesn't really mean much to them, but to me when I am in the country with the highest value monetary currency against the dollar it sucks hard core!!!

Thats my rant! Good luck to all you Americans who are reading this, I know presidential stuff is cropping it's head more and more in the news and such, stay strong remember no matter who they are right or left they are full of it. Ohhh man, and I studying political science! God Help Me!

Love you all very much, keep up the commenting and e-mailing me your thoughts.

-Mike

...into the sunset.

Journal Entry Jan 14th 2007...

As my great adventure comes to a near end, in my minds eye I wonder the fields of my youth, in all it's drama, in all it's worry and confusion. I sit in reverent silence seeing the spooked pheasant clammer their worried wings into the air, the setting sun over my shoulders casting the golden hue upon their white breasts and reflecting the true hope of every mans heart.
The farm land of the English countryside speeds by as if to give a glimpse of perfection, knowing that to linger and ponder it's existence would betray and reveal the reality of the farmers life of toil, and the curse that it truly is.
I can not help but recall a certain Spanish rider when my eye catches sight of the modern spinning wind-mills in the distance, which produce the electrified fortune so many hope to grasp. Thus I am reminded of yet another man of lore. When everything he touched turned to gold. And yet he realized that the things of life and of flesh although may be fleeting, they are worth the risk and pain that may come with failure. Although the gold may bring us security in mind, our hearts will never be content and know this that hearts move minds, but the mind will never budge the stubborn heart. So is it with the Love I carry, though I long at security, I will always live for love.
Yet it seems my heart is as hard as I have ever noticed it. Only longing for One and longing for His return. Tiss when I realize, in this instant, that my heart is as David, that though through calamity and failure, adventure and confusion my being, my inner-man as Paul calls it, will and can only arrive and rise to one conclusion by my instinct and faith... WORSHIP, worship the Lord almighty, Holy HOly, HOLY, the Lord God Almighty, WHO WAS, WHO IS, WHO SHALL EVER BE. And that is what I sung, that is what I sung loud and clear in the streets and back alleys of Florence ITALY, realizing... realizing my youth and the adventure that it is.

END of journal Entry.

love you all. God's Got ya! He's Got me, go for Jesus, and I'll see you under the tree!

-Mike

Dublin

So got to Dublin after pulling an all nighter to finish a paper, I had 2 hours of sleep. I packed my room and my bag and got to Dublin at like 12pm on fri. We went out that day for awhile saw a bunch of stuff. The next day I woke up and we went to; St. Stephen's Green, merrion park, st. Patricks, Christ Church. The choir at Christ church rocked.
Last night we cooked a meal the 5 of us, and it cost us 2.50 per person to cook in the kitchen, bunch of pasta and sauce and stuff. OHHHH fantasico!

Today we went to national gallery, Guiness brew house.

Not much else tomorrow I get a day by myself, to sleep in.

Not much to write now, so i'll talk to you later.
-mike

The journey

Wow, how amazing is life?

I can't help but miss everything back home, it isn't that I am homesick, I just miss the things I know. I realize I have changed, in huge and major ways. I know there are things in me that still need to be rooted out, and things that need to be matured. There is a lot of life baggage that I have that I find really hard to let go of. I can't imagine it will be any easier when I am older, so I want to do as much maturing and changing now, even if I think it hurts a bit. I see the future, I am not saying I know what it is, but I can see something on the horizon, and it seems so far away, I don't want to let go of what is right behind me. But if I am to get to that place, then I must let go. It isn't about turning your back on things, it isn't about forgetting or even healing, all those things will happen with God and time. It is about letting go. Thats it. I don't know how to let go.

I dunno if anyone can relate. I feel like a little kid complaining. But there are somethings I just don't want to get over, I don't want to put to rest. I just want it to go away. Nothing is ruining my trip here, nothing could. But as I am learning, from the ages of like 15- (i hear) till 27, is the toughest time. I gotta say the past three years of my life have been crazy, ups and downs, to be honest way more ups than downs, but the downs are just so emotional, so life changing and real, long lasting and life or death.

I have realized so much about myself here, so much! I've realized it's not a bad thing to get a compliment, weird huh? I don't really get them much, so the people here who have told me about what they see in me, has blown me away. I am surprised so much, the strength of God is seen by people, all we've got to do is live it. I've also once again seen that my writings can have an impact on people. Not many in recent years have noticed my writings, a few have said "Oh thats nice", or "Wow, that's deep." But a few here have come to embrace it and urge me to do more, urge me to grow in it, and to keep writing, not because it is deep, but because it has spoken to them. One said "You have so much to say and you say it so well." I was so blown away. I couldn't look her in the eye when she said that to me.

I dunno what to say, I have a lot hitting me right now,God, relationship, School, Travel, none of these things are bad, but all seem so heavy, so i walk with weight, but Jesus has told us that He wishes to be our rock, the one who carries the heaviness with us. Will I let him? I try some days, I don't others. Today I didn't let him, I just tried to carry it, I did it, but it was horrible. I hurt, I cried, I prayed and I was stubborn. Tomorrow? I don't know what I will do tomorrow. I can only wake up and give it a try. Jesus said, "I come to give life, and life more abundantly." I want to live! I want to hop and skip every step, I want on my pogo stick and I want to smile and laugh all the way home. So I will, I am an alien to this place. My strength is not my own. So there is my BLOG for the day, time to finish editing my paper, it is 132am haha, life of a college student! WOOOOOOO.

I love all of you, e-mail me or comment on my blog look at my pictures do all sorts of things for me today! haha, laugh... look in the mirror and flex, even if you have no muscles, it always makes me laugh when i do that haha! ohh sad... haha! Do a little dance even if you don't feel like it, it really will liven up your heart, and smile, force you lips to smile and move your eyebrows around to fit the smile and do weird fish faces. That is the best! Any way, so much, so little, the cat and the fiddle. Bet you didn't see that coming!

-Mike

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to say a quick hello! I love all of you and am very thankful for all of your love, prayers and support. It has been good and hard, growing and rewarding. I am having a wonderful time having the adventure of my life.

Check out my pictures link ---------------------------------------------->

any way having a great time a good weekend instore for myself. Eat up the turkey and let those muscles go limp as you fall into silent content comatose. Love you all, God Bless.

-Mike

Plans, God and why...

So much is going on, school, life and if that isn't enough i already ate all the chocolate my mom sent me, it is gone... ;-(

So my Christmas break is going to look something like this...

Dec 15-21(22)
- Ireland; Dublin etc.
Dec 22(23)-Jan 4
- Norway; Oslo-->Trondhiem
Jan 4(5)-8(9)
- Austria-->Spain

Thats my idea, still scrounging money
My plane from Birmingham to Dublin will be $34 dollars!!! so cheap!
Plane from Dublin to Oslo will be $28 Dollars!!!!
But my big expense will be my eurail pass; somewhere between $611-645, which will get me around in Ireland, Norway, Austria and Spain and where ever else I decide to go, haha.
Then food and lodging, yuk!

God well, the Lord is showing me so much, the work of His hand in others, so easy to see it in others than in yourself. Also he is just showing me myself, scary thing, who out of any of us really wants to look at ourselves haha. Ohh man, there is a reason my generation especially surrounds themselves with TVs, Video Games, etc etc etc, we hate to hear our own minds... Are you able to just sit, quietly for long periods of time, do you feel like your wasting time, do you feel like it could be better used to do other things like watch TV, wash that counter, pick up that room, or practice your golf swing. We are a society of ADD kids, I know I am, my attention span is about as long as the width of my hair. 30 second commercials, instant gratification, microwaves and big macs, we want what we want now, pack all our lives into one day and try to forget about tomorrow.
Any way, slow down friends, you know the things that are vital, but cut some things out. One of my favorite things to do when I was in St. Paul, when ever I was there, I would always drive up to the capital and the cathedral, and I would just look at how huge the buildings were, then I would go into the Cathedral, and pick a pew, sit and just be in wonder at the hands that built that place. I would stare and just be silent. God knows us, and for some reason, when we go inside the big Church buildings we feel kind of safe, we remember the early years, for some of us they were a little earlier than others, but we are reminded of something simpler, when we didn't bog ourselves down with the strife of this life. God will come when you take a step towards Him. If your burnt out, sick of long nights and short days, or just wanting to just stop, sit and be in awe of who God is... Psalm 18

"I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my Fortress, and my Savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold."

The last time I was in the Cathedral, and a few times before that, I was sitting in awe, praying and reading. And a guy, a different person every time, came to me and asked me if I could help him, he told me his problems and his journey, it ended with me giving him no money, though I know he wanted it, and it wasn't because I didn't want to, but because I am a college kid and am as broke as he is. So I prayed for him. I prayed for the Lord's prevision, and for his protection and love.
When I opened my eyes, the guy was just starring at me. He didn't speak for a few seconds, lost in the want of someone truly trying to help not just giving to push a man away, he noticed that he wasn't a burden to me.

What do you love to do? I just ask, love to love.

I don't know where that man is now, maybe out on the street drunk, maybe begging for money, but maybe, just maybe he realized that his life has value, and it was worth more than a beggars ransom, but worth his heart to try at life instead of being a victim. Maybe, like most of you, love gave him courage. Find your Cathedral my friends, find your house of God, your house of Worship and long to be in awe of God. Your movement towards Him, will draw Him near. And if your really feeling daring today, ask Him for more. More of life, more of love, more of Him. Just beware of what you wish for. Hahaha. Love you all.

-Mike

Love conquors all Fear

I dunno what to write, the home sickness has finally struck me!

I told a friend all i wanted to do was drive in the red truck down a gravel road blaring some country music with the windows down. With uncontrollable events on either side of the ocean, I could really go for a late night conversation with my mom over tea or chocolate-chip cookies. I could also go for an old movie while sitting in my dads lap in his chair. and I am 21 years old haha.

But I am so glad I am here, if I was anywhere else other than here right now it wouldn't be right. I am exactly where I ought to be with the things of life raining down over my head.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepard I shall not want,
He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides still water,
He restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness,
For His name sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil
for you are with me
your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
you anoint my head with oil
my cups runs over

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord -
Forever.

I wrote in a poem once, life comes at a funny time in ones own existence.

Life is just goofy.

So I'll keep living, I am sure all you old timers out there are saying, ohhh man there is mike over in England whining about life. You have a point. But here is one for ya,

No matter where you go... there you are.

Beaches, cities, home or abroad. You still have your mind, your heart and your soul.

Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

-Mike