Los Angeles Photo Adventures

Sometimes I get to venture around the city.

Espanol

Quería escribir en un otro idioma porque tenia la esperanza de aprender de mas de un otro idioma. Sin embargo no aprendí español, pero he aprendido ASL (American Sign Langauge).

That's as close as I'm going to get to blogging in another language at this point. But after typing in enough Spanish, my computer did start auto-correcting to Spanish. How fancy.

Little Drummer Boy

I love Christmas music. I always have. Growing up Christmas was my favorite holiday for three reasons.

1. My mother LOVES the season. She is get super festive and our house turns into a winter wonderland. So even not being a child anymore, Christmas decorations still makes me feel more at home. 
2. It always comes around my birthday, so there was just a lot to celebrate. 
3. The lights and the music. Christmas music just seems so much better than most. 

But I am very selective about the music that I like during this season. I like Advent music, music that really expresses the amazing fact that Jesus came down to earth on during this season and that is something worth celebration, that our Savior, has come. Little Drummer Boy was never one of the songs that made it onto my powerful, emotional, Advent songs list. 

That is until now. One of my favorite bands, Pentatonix, did a version of it that changed my view on the song entirely. Listen to it here first: 

I can't quite put to words what made me love this version so much more than the rest of it, but I think it was the right musical composition to make me actually understand the meaning of the song. A small boy, knowing he has nothing to give Jesus but his drum playing, plays at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus accepts this child's gift, because he gave all he had, he gave willingly, and he gave freely.

Isn't that all Jesus wants from us - to give him what we have, whether much or little. Many times we withhold our best gifts from Jesus because we fear they aren't good enough as the person standing next to us. Let them lead, let them serve, let them play because they are ultimately the better one. We have become so entrenched in a world of comparison and jealousy that we withhold the best parts ourselves from Jesus.

Jesus doesn't care if you are the best drummer or the worst drummer, he wants you to give yourself, your talents, your gifts to him and let him use them as he will. I like this song because this young kid gets it - he doesn't have much to give so he gives what he has, and he gives it all. If he had been given wealth beyond belief he would have given that and if he could bake he would have made Jesus pie (which would be awesome). But he couldn't do those things, so he played his drum.

May we all find our drum to play for Jesus and play it like we would for a king.

Freedom

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." - Nelson Mandela.

Wise words my friend. Thank you for your example, your life, your passion, and your wisdom. We are grateful.

Green Christmas

It's finally getting cold in Southern California (well cold to us is about 50 degrees, which is warm to so many others during this time of year). But for us, it does start to feel more like Christmas time. In honor of the season (and to mark off one of my 25 goals) I've composed a song to the tune of White Christmas...

"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas
Just like the ones I never knew.
With the palm trees swaying,
And Children Playing
On the beach, swim the ocean blue.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas
Not really sure we'd ever get that here.
With the temperatures climbing
And the heat still rising
I think snow, would cast too much fear."

Happy Holidays!