seize life!

Source: flickr.com via morgan & kim on Pinterest

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.
The Bible - Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 (The Message)

sufjan stevens..

So, this last Sunday night we went and saw a show which went straight to our top 10 gig's ever. We saw Sufjan Stevens.



This was part of the tour for his new album "The Age of Adz", and was a flipping incredible show. With ticker tape and a balloon drop, costumes and a great light show this gig was amazing. We saw him about 3 years when he came out to Australia for the first time and was touring his album "Illinois".



The journey his music has taken in this time is pretty different, and we weren't quite sure hat to expect. I have to admit, I had only listened to the new album a couple of times, its pretty intense, but seeing it live brought it to life. The 12 piece band played together so well, and the neon costumes and super nerdy dancing made me smile so much. This show was worth every Penny. If you get a change to see this man perform live, take it. You will not be disappointed.

What's on your top 10 gig list??

Listener - Wooden Heart

oh dear. they have stolen our hearts.

The other day a new friend of ours shared this video with us, which resulted in the purchase of an album from Listener straight away. We hope you can take the time to give this a listen and let it impact you.
If your into this, even a little, please check out some other bands we like which are similar... mewithoutYou, Kevin Devine, and The Homeless Gospel Choir.

Also, we have just discovered the website Bandcamp a great initiate in music purchasing for both artists and fans. Many artists have also chosen a 'name your own price' purchase, and this website offers 90% of the sale going directly to the artists. There a heaps of artists to choose from, so go take a look, and purchase some new music.

ps. happy australia day.

i see: iphonie

morgan has had his new iphone for a few weeks now and has been taking some sweet shots. I love the ones he gets with hipstamatic. I wanted to share a few of my faves.. so here they are.. enjoy.
kim

we love our church

This week has been a lovely time to be reminded of the beautiful community we are apart of. Our church, Goodlife, is celebrating its 10th birthday as a community centre. The church was founded 22 years ago (interestingly on Kim's 1st birthday) and founded the Goodlife Community centre 10 years ago this Thursday.

Here is a lovely video my friend Grace made for the celebrations..

10 Year Anniversary Celebration from Goodlife Community Centre on Vimeo.

Every time i watch this video it makes me giddy. I love my church. I love this community. I love that I get to be apart of this great thing.

Community is what connect us, and make us whole. I love that we have created a facility that is able to serve our local area, and open our hearts to all around us. This is not a Church with a Community Centre. This is a Community Centre, which is a Church. We have both spent time working in the centre Cafe.

If you are not a part of a great community i urge you to find one, get connected, and love that group.

ps. check out more of graces amazing work here. she is super talented.

giving...

So lately I've been getting a lot of things given to me.
Firstly- I was given a book from a lady at the markets. This happened right after I bought a beautiful hat rack for a friend of mine.
Secondly- I was given a sweet little Kodak 155 Instamatic Camera from an old man at the markets the week after I was given the book. The camera takes 126 Film which is extinct, but I recently met someone who quite liked this camera, so I gave it to her.
Thirdly- Kim was given some beautiful 60's mod fabric and a dress I can only describe as the 'asian green butterfly'.
I don't believe these events are a coincidence. I believe in living a generous life, of late Kim and I have been trying extra hard to be super generous with our time and our money. We are both considered by the Government as low income earners but together we aspire to not spending money on junk and buy our stuff from thrift shops or markets. We've been able to have enough money to support missionaries and visionaries. We get a lot more joy from giving than holding on to things.
::morgan::

Living life a Christian is a hard thing especially when the Bible calls us to live generous lives. But I am constantly surprised in how we are able to live a life of generosity, and I am not talking merely tithing (10% of ones earnings) and not be left wanting.
When we were dating Morgan used to drive me insane in the way he would not pay money for certain things, and sometimes still does. His attitude was often considered (by me and others) as cheap, but really, as I found out, he was saving his money by not spending it on unnecessary items, so he could share it with others in need. This has become one of my most loved and most annoying attitudes about morgan, but none the less he inspires me in my generosity, to share with those around me.
Although it is not much, I love having people round for dinner, and treating them to a beautiful, sometimes gourmet meal (it sure helps having a chef for a husband). I know how much I value going to other peoples houses, and not having to cook or clean up and just being a guest, with one job to do, enjoy the evening. This is one small way Morgan and I try to be generous. Each week we pick someone to come over for dinner to treat them, but also as a way for us to get to know people around us who we don't know very well, or to catch up with old friends.
This is something I cherish a lot, and hope we continue throughout our marriage.
::kim::