HABANA VIEJA from Van Royko on Vimeo.
This is just a few shots of Cuba and the people there.
Love this song.. and the video is amazing too =)
Something is wrong with this photograph
What is so inviting about a place
Where the shades of black overshadow everything
A shrill cold voice beckons and I turn
Doing its bidding without question
Scrambling for more like a beggar
I can’t grasp enough of this hopelessness
As it pours into me, I am hollowed
My eyes have become haggard and empty
My hunger and thirst never satisfied
Standing on the edge, in the confines of despair
The shallow remains of life flow in my veins
Yearning to poured out to end this pain
Anything to be released from this bitter cold void
Had there once been hope?
Or was that just a fantasy- a desire- a wish
But then- a warm touch- a kind word
Cracks the frozen wasteland of a life
Maybe- just maybe- hope was more than a dream
My eyes freed from the blinding black ice
Open to see an outstretched hand
Scarred for me, He radiates light and warmth
My frozen soul melts in His tender affection
The intensity of His love shatters death’s dark hold
The anguish I felt so deeply vaporizes instantly
As I am filled with warm rays of hope
Overflowing with joy and peace
My heart beats alive and vibrant
A spot of color has broken into this image
But something is still amiss
The cold voice still beckons as darkness waits
Shivering, I cling to the reassurance in that scarred hand
I gaze into the desolate place where I once dwelled
My soft warm heart aches as I behold
People of empty eyes and hopeless lives
A soft whisper fills my ear, “Show them.”
The spark burst into flame as I realize
It’s my turn to be the kind word- the warm touch
He has chosen me to share His radiance
Maybe- just maybe- I can show them the reality of hope
To pour His powerful love into this picture
Bringing vibrant life in color and light
As it was meant to be
~Alaina Mathers
2/3/10
I wrote this after Rick, one of the staff members here, shared one of his favorite verses at team devotions in Italy.
Matthew 24:12-14
~ And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ~
I really liked the imagery Rick used in talking about how when we turn from God we are in the cold and that sin creeps in like a breath of cold air. Our compassion and love for people and desire to share the love of our Lord Jesus should be as a warming beating heart, alive and vibrant. When we choose sin, we become a dark, empty, hollow without faith or hope. But when we choose God, we receive the gift of life filled with hope and light and a faith that is very much alive and vibrant. In that faith, we are filled with compassion and love for those who are trapped in this hard, cold, dark place where we live. It is rarely easy, but we can spread the warmth if we stay faithful, and keep our eyes on Christ until the end.
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