Iona, cont.

So clear, so blue.
The sheep at the top of this hill stopped to pose for a couple pics. He was nice.

Click on this to make it bigger. St. Columba is credited for the spread of Christianity in Scotland. 

Transportation

We traveled by plane, by train, by bus, by ferry, by taxi, by car and by foot. Sometimes, all of the above in one day.
Train station in Stirling. I caught it just after a train had picked up all the people.
The inside of the first bus we encountered in Scotland. 

I just had to capture the Barbie car. :)
The taxi...good for a ride when you can't figure out the bus system.
One of the buses at a crosswalk.
The ferry to the Isle of Mull. After traveling across this island for about an hour...we got onto another ferry to go to Iona. 

Transportation, cont.

Waiting for the train to Glasgow.
Arriving at Queen St. station in Glasgow.
Queen Street Station.
There were all kinds of stores here in the station..incluing Claire's and The Body Shop. If you look at the rounded building on the left (with the dome on top)...that's where we went to church on Sunday. It was a really nice hotel. The service was absolutely great. Wish I could go back every Sunday. 

How to Get Around

A map of the grounds around the Glasgow Cathedral.
A map of Edinburgh.
Which way to look when crossing the street.
Notice the car. Then notice the sign. Two very important parts of this picture. 

The playground

The playground equipment was so different. I wish I would have taken more pictures. Here's a sample.
The swings.
Teeter-totter. (looks like it's out-of-order)
Slide. In case you can't see..this slide is so narrow it will only fit children no larger than let's say six or seven years old.
Leah had to try this one out. 

The Flowers

There were flowers everywhere. I mean everywhere. Anyone with a green thum would have loved this place.



Once nice green patch of clover. Seen any four-leafed clovers in the bunch? I actually made Leah eat one...b/c I told her the story of how as I kid I used to eat them and they were a bit tangy. These ones needed a bit more tanginess...but they were not bad overall. 

The People

This is Pablo, whom we would meet back at the hostel later on during our last night in Edinburgh. He challenged me to a game of chess..guess who won...he was only one of the top chess players in Australia. He said I did pretty good though...considering.
This couple looked so peaceful as we walked along the water in a tree covered glen. A few of the friends we made at church on Sunday. Ellie (in blue) invited us for lunch. 

Sweet little ladies on vacation in Oban.
This is an all out rock fight. Handfuls of large rocks are being thrown...and in between much laughter is being exchanged.

I sat here on a little bench for awhile and watch four young boys dig between rocks for a ring they had lost. The water was so cold, I am sure the one boy in the water was the color blue as he walked home. 

This moment speaks for itself.
George Square in Glasgow...where lunch is eaten and the sun is soaked in. Leah and I spent about three hours one day in this park.
During the three hours, I watched this couple fight and make up.
Not quite on the beat, but it's still fun to watch people play their instruments next to the water. 

The People, cont.

The park near St.Enoch subway where we sang "Yellow" at least twice and serenaded a group who was full of heart and drink at the same time.
We ran into a lot of these types of musicians on the street. Playing for money in Scotland is called "busking".
The listening crowd.
One lone guitarist. 

So, About Scotland

It was amazing. Absolutely beautiful. I hit the ground running when I came home last week. Hence the gap in my blogging. My classroom is almost ready for school on Monday. It looks awesome...way better than last year. I'm pretty sure I removed most of the roaches...blechk. Now if I can just find the right tape to keep posters stuck to the painted brick walls I'll be all set. I'm just about to post some pics...then maybe some more thoughts.

Jesus and Politics

Disowning Conservative Politics Is Costly for Pastor

I came across this article from the New York Times this morning. If you have a minute to read through it, the contents reveal some challenging thoughts. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Now they tell me...

Just got back from Scotland two nights ago and msn publishes this article today. Ten days was a perfect amount of time, but it wasn't enough to see all of Scotland. What an amazing country..rich in history and beauty.

Rain on the hills

Rain falls on the hills as the sound of guitar and jimbey play their worship. My heart is open...it feels like a song waiting, longing to be played. I've started three more songs in the past few days. I'm hungry to play the guitar we have carried to Scotland. I think about it more and more. I'm hungry to read the word. I have finally finished Matthew and am headed through Mark. I'm looking at the life of David again, particularly where he was chosen over all his older brothers to be the king of Israel.

Church was divinely appointed this morning. I was so touched by Him that I responded to a call for prayer. Kat prayed for me. I mean, she listened to the Lord, prayed in the Spirit and then prayed over me. It is so rare to find a church so full of life and running with fresh water. I drank fresh water this morning. So fresh that my tired perspective is changing. New directions? New possibilities? Aye. (yes)

It is time for change. Time to switch perspectives. Time to stop doing what I feel is good and right and responsible; time to listen to the Lord and talk with Him about my life. Time to follow in the path He has already set up for me. It may not be the practical, safe path. It may not be the one I have assumed. I need to be okay with that...in fact, I think I really am okay with that.

We are headed to Iona tomorrow. Headed to the place where Christianity was carried into Scotland. I won't be here to update until I get home to the States. Can't wait to share the pictures...can't wait to write more updates.

Miss you all. And when I say "you"...I mean you...I have carried you in my heart.

Touching History

Here are some links to places I've been this week. I am almost overwhelmed at the history here. I want to soak it all up...way more exciting than sitting through a high school lecture 10 years ago...way more exciting.

Paisley Abbey

Stirling Castle

Glasgow Cathedral

We still plan on seeing the Isle of Iona and Edinburgh before we leave. I might have to buy more batteries and another memory card for my camera. Beth, you would have a blast taking pictures here.

Glasgow And Its Patriarchs

The sun rises around 4am and the light of it still shines until somewhere between 10 and 11pm. We are further north than I thought.

We checked out Glasgow today and plan to return tomorrow to see a Cathedral and an art museum. Today we walked the streets with Leah's guitar, whom we affectionately named "Gertie". Lots of good architecture, street musicians, one street canvas and many, many people. It is not much different than here but then again it is. The parks are full of people eating lunch, talking, basking in the record high heat (which by the way happens to be nice and cool compared to Florida or the heat of the midwest). The accents are inflected with Scottish, sometimes easy to understand and other times easier just to nod and pretend you know what they are saying. People are very friendly here.

So we played a lot of guitar today. Or rather Leah did and I played a bit for a few moments here and there. I didn't mind listening, watching the people, snapping pictures, writing new lyrics in my journal. The peace of God surround us here. I feel as if we are on a mission or maybe God is on the mission and we're here to experience it.

We met Danny Boy and Kelly in one round-about park today. They had a two liter bottle half- filled with alcohol. Drunk as they were, they wanted to sing and Leah was their minstrel. We sang "Yellow" twice, "Clocks" and only part of an Emmy Lou Harris. A few of their other friends joined us too...also drunk. Try to understand Scottish and slur at the same time...it is not easy. We stayed until I didn't feel quite safe anymore...Kelly was angry about us getting the attention and there were too many others around to feel comfortable. As we left Danny Boy told us (with much concern is in voice) to be very careful and stay safe as we walked around the city. Hmm...thanks for the tip.

We spent the rest of the day in an incredible park uptown a bit. The pigeons really do swoop in large masses through these parks you know. I have decided after much pigeon and seagull watching today that I do not ever want a statue made of myself to be placed in a park with birds. It seems to defeat the purpose of honor as they perch on the heads of these patriarchs and excrete their droppings as only birds can do. It's rather disgusting and quite ironic.

Another day is done...tomorrow I will wake up again in Paisley...the home of the actual paisley design...once home to some of the largest cotton mills...in a house that used to hold the family accredited for inventing spools of thread..or something like that. Can't wait to post the pictures.

Good Day..from Scotland :)

Leah and I landed in Edinburgh today around 10:30am. From there we found the bathrooms, an atm, and a bottle of water. We got two bottles of water for 1.30 pounds. We walked to the buses where we found directions to Glasgow, hopped onto the nearest bus and headed for the next bus stop. We waited there for about 15 minutes hopped onto a double decker bus and were taken all the way into Glasgow. Beautiful ride by the way. After reaching Glasgow's bus station, Leah and I grabbed a bite to eat. I had a bbq chicken sandwich and juice for under 3 pounds...I'm telling you...the food here is really cheap.

Leah and I then walked to what we thought was the correct train station and bought a ticket...and then found out we were in the wrong place. The tickets were still good...we were told that we just needed to hop onto another bus and be taken to the correct place. This time the ride took us through Glasgow...beautiful, historical city (pictures to come).

When we arrived at the city center...wow...it was a huge train station with lots of shops, people, trains. I would have taken pictures but we found our train was leaving within five minutes time. We hiked it to Platform 12 and took a short, scenic train route in Paisley. While on the train, I met Claire, a student at St. Andrews. I gave her bandaids for her blisters...she was headed to France to stay on the beach with some friends on holiday. People don't even ask where we're from...they automatically know that we're from the states.

So after the train, we met up with a taxi who took us to the ministry base we are staying with. I can't wait to post pictures...this house is a historical landmark...stone around the outside...winding staircase inside...large rooms and a gorgeous view of a lake the breas (small hills) of Scotland. The people who run this ministry have given us a room, linens, have taken us to the grocery store, and have invited us to cook out with them tonight. What a blessing. The kids who usually are here are out on ministry right now, so this great big house is quiet, peaceful.

I don't know what the next few days hold, but let me tell you..it's off to a great start. God has ordered our steps.