Oh, hey, Christmas!

it's way too close.

I've been reading a lot of MLIA:

"I've been using the same chap stick for a month now but it hasn't been working that well. My brother gave it to me as a gift but all it does is make my lips sticky. I told my friend and showed her the chapstick, she started laughing and told me that it's a glue stick. MLIA"

"Today, I was trying to decide whether or not I needed to wash my favorite hoodie. I looked at the tag and it said: "Machine wash, tumble dry low. Or just wear it dirty." My decision was made. MLIA"

[one of my favorites ever! /\]

and Tom Swifties:

"I dropped the toothpaste," said Tom, crestfallen.

"Here's someone who can't speak!" exclaimed Tom dumbfoundedly.

I've also been working a bunch with Kate Pitchford in photoshop...

We decided against using this, haha :)

& taking pictures with my sister

I love you all.

This week...

...has been good so far :)

"never desire revenge. it requires real strength to love man and to love him despite all invitations to do otherwise, all provocations and all reasons why one should not. happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. to hate alone is the road to disaster. to love is the road to strength. to love in spite of all is the secret of greatness." -L. Ron Hubbard

today's xkcd made me LOLZ, click:

Oddly enough, I started writing a story once about the sun dying. I gave up on it. This would've been a great way to conclude it. ;)

I'm a little bit mad at myself for neglecting the three (four?) people that read my blog. So from now on, I'll try my hardest to update regularly.

Song I've Listened To Over & Over This Week: "Something About Us" by Daft Punk

I was on conference calls for 4 1/2 hours yesterday. So I slept in today & was generally lazier than I should be. But I felt totally justified. ;)

-Kmac

Tour has been teaching me a lot about myself.

Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

Marie.

I haven't felt very inspired to write on my blog, but I thought I'd tell you about somebody I love very much.

Her name is Marie.

You might know her.

Her last name is Jeffries.

She inspires me.

A few days ago we ran to the store to get a wrap for Tim's twisted ankle. First of all, Tim needs to take better care of his ankle. But secondly while we were at the store Marie explained why she was there by saying; "I find out what people need, and I get it for them. I fix it." It's just what she does.

Tonight, in the middle of the program, one of the girls needed to safety pin her dress, and Marie went running out to find a safety pin and then utilized her near-superhero-like safety-pinning abilities to aid in this dire situation. Because...that's what she does. She helps when people need help. She loves when people need love. She wants to work with IJM when she grows up.

Marie is so focused on other people, has such a heart for the hurting and lost and abused and misused and mistreated and ignored, that the way she lives her life is one of the most powerful examples of love I know.

I love Marie, and I hope some day I can love like Marie.

I need to re-learn, or learn for the first time, how to have a serious conversation. Since I wrote that post about wanting to...I've mostly failed...it's as if I didn't learn to walk when I was young, and I still crawl around.

In other news: tour is amazing. :)

Hello.

I miss...

this

that

nothing

everything

you.

Lip Syncer's Worship

I'm a lip syncer. I lip sync. I love lip syncing. Highly emotional songs like Mariah Carey's "Without You" and Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe" are among my favorites. As I mouth the words (and occasionally dance lamely) I can feel the emotions behind them. Though I may never have experienced the events that are lyricised by Johnny Cash's "Hurt" or Kate Nash's "Foundations" I can almost imagine feeling the way they do. Emotion is a powerful drug...maybe that's why I enjoy the art of lip syncing so much.

But.

 But.

I've begun to wonder in worship these past few weeks whether I am just lip syncing aloud. When I cry "Blessed be the Lord!" do I mean it? Or is this lip syncers worship? Do I believe that "my God is mighty to save"? What is my faith?

This years ICC theme "Lead the Escape" is represented by the image of a parrot. The idea is to lead the escape from artificial communication to authentic communication.

When I lip sync I am parroting the words and emotions of the singers and songwriters. When I worship...am I doing the same thing?

What if my faith is a lip syncers faith? What if I say the words of the hymns, repeat those of the oft-quoted verses, and all I'm doing is parroting the truth? Is it still the truth?

Lip syncers worship.

Lip syncers faith.

Lip syncers love.

I say I love so many people. But do I?

"I love you."

"I love you."

"I love you."

I say it every day. Am I parroting these feelings?

I want to escape to authenticity!

I want to be real. 

Authentic worship.

Authentic faith.

True love.

God. Lead my escape.