my highway to zion

never underestimate penny's self-confidence...i probably have 1,000 pictures she's taken of herself. here's 1 of them. at an outdoor market eating pancakes in the trees. happy birthday nicholas! beth rapha february 2012. penny saw this boy and decided to give him the rest of her chocolate milk, so she chased him down. he declined. who turns down chocolate milk? the tiniest gecko in the whole of africa. getting ready for a christmas party (in february!). i LOVE this photo! at living grace, we do relaxation exercises with the clients. i snuck a photo of the moment: it looks like we've poisoned them all or something :) two dear friends of mine out for smoothies. this was hanging by the door at work the other day when i arrived! i had to take this photo. this man was asleep on the train. behind him is written on the seat "i hate blacks". irony like this in humanity convinces me of our NEED for a savior. brian helped me move a stove into my flat one day after churc...

"...Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." John 13.1 This verse exposes an error in my thinking about my purpose in life. According to this verse, and all the ones before and after it pertaining to the life of Christ, my life is an offering to the Lord to be used as he sees fit. But, you see, somewhere along life's path i've picked up a way of thinking that tells me I must save the world. And not just that I must, but that if i don't, i'm lazy, worthless, and somehow being disobedient to God. In various ways, this incredible mindset has driven me to a certain way of life, to certain behavior, and to certain life choices that I now look back on with a bit of regret. I can see how everything works out for good in the end, but I've been met with much pain, heartache, loneliness, and loss because of this faulty thinking. Don't get me...

This documents Cape Town's annual "Coon Carnival", held on January 2 throughout the streets of Cape Town. My friends and I parked in Bo Kaap to watch the minstrels parade by. This carnival lasts for twelve hours, as the clubs parade through the streets of the CBD three separate times while on-lookers snap photos, smile, wave, laugh, and dance along to the amazingly loud sounds coming from each band. All brass instruments welcome! I'm glad we took the day to go to town, have a lovely lunch (thanks to sweet Elizabeth), and see the klopse. I still remember my first year in cape town, i so badly wanted to be colored like all my friends in capricorn, and i was introduced over the christmas holiday to the klopse. I stood on the sidelines of Lavender Hill watching the clubs rehearse. All i could make out was a deafening sound of instruments, a blinding array of shiny clothes, and a joy welling up in my heart. To me, the annual parade embodies so much that i love about cape c...