March 31, 2010

Books I love, part 2



As on the week leading to Easter, I want to share a certain book with you.
Again this is a book I keep on coming back to. It was given to me by a friend, who then left Central Asia and did not want to carry it back home.

The book is called "In the Footsteps of Jesus - One Man's Journey Through the Life of Christ". It is written by Bruce Marchiano.



You might wonder why he would choose such a name for his book. I mean, how exactly did he walk in the footsteps of Jesus? And had a journey through Jesus' life? Journey?

Well, this is actually 'a movie made into a book', versus the much more common 'a book made into a movie'.

Bruce is acting Jesus in The Visual Bible's 'Matthew'. It is a word-for-word from the text of The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. (So, actually it is first a book - then a movie, then a book about the movie!)



In this interesting book he tells in detail how he was chosen to act Jesus, and how he had been prepared for this acting job for years beforehand, naturally without him knowing it, because the director Regardt van den Bergh had not started with the idea yet. Most importantly, he tells about his experiences through the filming in Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa.

He has a very catchy way of writing. I could not put the book down! I could not! I was sitting in the kitchen, reading, ignoring the kids, reading, not cooking the dinner, reading and crying. It is a very touching book.

When Bruce went to meet the director for the very first time in an audition, he had struggled how to dress and look like Jesus! Yes, I would not know how to dress like Jesus on modern days! "Now let me ask you, what does one wear to audition for the role of Jesus? A flowing robe with three golden sashes? A halo? A white silk suit? How about a pair of jeans, flannel shirt, work boots, and two days' unshaven beard?"

He was obviously chosen for the role. Then he writes about the preparation period. It was so interesting. I find actors and actresses lives quite interesting (yes, I confess it here!), but I cannot remember anyone ever talking about the preparation that is required for a role. Of course one needs to prepare...learn the lines and maybe loose some weight or gain some, grow beard or shave a head...I just never knew how it really looked from inside, day to day.

One of the challenges was to understand who Jesus was, as a human, when He lived on earth. There is so much written about Him from the godly point of view, His deep spirituality, but not so much about what kind of man Jesus really was. Why did Jesus do this? Why did He give such an answer? Why did He choose to speak these words, and to be silent in other instances... I was fascinated by Bruce's experiences. He was studying the scenes, reading books and research about the life of Jesus, and discovering wonders!


"Somehow, in my heart, I had to get spiritually, soulfully, and in every other way prepared to represent Jesus...You see, the camera does not lie. Any film actor worth his salt will tell you it moves in on your eyes, picking up every thought behind them, exposing your soul to the world. It's the key to film acting. If an actor is lying, the camera will pick it up in his eyes, and the audience will see it and not believe him; it's just that simple. So it doesn't matter how good I may be at acting compassionate, joyful, loving - the traits of Jesus. If I am void of these things in my own heart, with that camera staring down the throat of my soul, I'm not going to convince a single man, woman or child (especially the child!). So, you see, aside from the film, the key for me was to personally seek after what we're all called to seek in the first place - Christ-likeness."




This picture really touched me. Can you read the text?




I just enjoy Bruce's claim that he is the first Jesus in film history whose hair moved when the wind blew! Of course, Jesus was a real man!


In the book Bruce is describing and explaining scenes that have touched people all over the world, and gives insight why they chose to film those scenes that certain way. It made watching the movie even more enjoyable and touching.

On the second meeting with the director, where Bruce and Regardt shared and talked about the project, one word became a cornerstone of the whole movie.

"At one point during that lunch, Regardt spoke a handful of words that would become cornerstone to everything we did when the cameras rolled. They were words that would springboard countless transformed lives as already described. With all the confidence of a man who knows the prompting of the Holy Spirit and trusts the Word of God, Regardt leaned over the table, looked me square in the eye, and said: 'Bruce, I have one word for you: joy. He was anointed with the oil of joy, and that's what set Him apart from everyone else - Hebrews 1:9. Bruce, I believe that's what the Lord wants us to do in Matthew - to present Jesus as a Man of Joy.' "

And Bruce's exciting journey about finding out the Man of Joy started...

"Jesus began jumping off the page at me as well - His realness and strength, the sparkle in His eyes, the spring in His gait, the heartiness in His laugh, the genuineness of His touch; His passion, playfulness, excitement, and vitality: His JOY!"

And this is the message that makes this book and the movie so special for me. Jesus was a real man, who lived a real life...he laughed and had fun, and He really, really, really loved people.

There were some really difficult scenes to film, and you need to read the book to find out how Bruce could do them...often he had no idea himself!

But as we are about to celebrate Easter, this might be the most important news you will hear, and most important thing you will learn in the rest of your life:


Jesus loves you.
He loves you so much.




March 23, 2010

My Favorite Things

Sometimes when shopping you walk by something...and you just have to stop.
And take a closer look. You have to get closer. Then you reach out your hand, and touch it. Take it into your hands, and feel it, turn it around and lift it up and turn it upside down...

It is interesting to see the different kind of things that can do that to different people. I cannot explain my "taste" in many things very well...but if I can show a picture, you will know exactly what I mean. You might wonder why on earth I would even bother to take a second look, or you might be impressed by my excellent taste. We are different!

Every now and then I will show you a thing I like here in my blog. It can be anything from dishes to shoes and so on.


Here is a pillow-cover I saw in the bazaar one day and just had to buy. It was one of those things...I did not go to bazaar to buy a pillow-cover. I did not know I needed a pillow-cover. All my pillows were covered already. But this was so cute and it reminded me of a dear friend, so I bought it.

As you can see, it is covered in little purses. The pictures are fun and cute, and I like the idea of printing different kind of purses on material. I also love the background color. It is very light yellow...I do not usually like yellow, but this and light lemon yellow are shades of yellow I can live with.





Here are some close up shots of the little purses.
I have spend lots of time with my daughter looking at the purses and choosing our very favorites.
Which one is your favorite?


March 21, 2010

Tänään on Uusi Vuosi




Hyvää Uutta Vuotta! Navruz on tänään!

Maaliskuun 21. päivä on Keski-Aasiassa uuden vuoden alku. Mie tykkään tästä keski-aasialaisesta uudesta vuodesta, kun vihdoin puut kukkii ja vuoret viheriöi...on ihan oikeasti uuden kasvun alun tuntu!

Tänä päivänä pitäisi olla sitten atlas-silkkimekko päällä. En ole vieläkään saanut teetettyä itselleni atlas-mekkoa. Kaikkien näiden vuosien aikana olen aina ajatellut, että NYT sitten Navruz-juhlan kunniaksi teetetään atlaksesta puku, mutta ei tärpännyt vieläkään.

Tässä on puistossa otettu kuva vastikään naimisiin menneestä tytöstä atlas-silkkimekko päällä:



Tämä atlas-mekko on ihan kivannäköinen pohjoiseurooppalaisiin silmiin, mutta kangasta saa kaikenlaisissa villeissä värikuvioissa ja -vaihtoehdoissa. Ehkäpä siksi en ole vielä saanut mekkokangasta valittua.

Ai mistä tiiän, että neito on mennyt vasta naimisiin? No, hänellä on morsianten käyttämä hattu päässä. Sitä pidetään ensimmäinen vuosi. Sitten on yleensä jo esikoinen syntynyt ja siirrytään huivin käyttöön.

Huomaa myös pikku leteillä olevat pitkät hiukset, keski-aasialaiseen perinnetyyliin.

Ja sitten katse alaspäin: korkokengät, korkokengät! Täällä ei ajatella ecco-kenkien mukavuutta! Täytyy näyttää hyvältä, ja olla korkkarit jalassa! Vaikka käveltäisi 163 kilometriä bazaarissa.

Navruz-perinteisiin kuuluu sumalak-nimisen herkun keitto. Sitä "perinteisesti" keitettäisiin yön yli, mutta en tiedä kuinka moni oikeasti koko yön valvoo kauhan varressa. Saimme naapurilta jo alkuviikosta sumalakkia.


Syön sitä sokerin kanssa ja kuvittelen, että syön mämmiä. Mämmiä on ikävä. Sumalak tehdään vasta versoneista viljankorsista. En tiedä tarkkaa reseptiä.

Tässä esikoisprinsessamme pukeutuneena vaaleanpunaiseen atlas-mekkoon, karusellin villissä menossa. Kävimme puistossa, koska Navruz-päivänä käydään puistossa. Emme mene toista kertaa lasten kanssa Navruzina puistoon. Ihmisiä oli ihan kauheasti eikä lastenrattaita ollut siellä kiva pukata. Eikä ollut edes sitä uutta mekkoa esitellä.




Iidi-Navruz Mubarak!

March 19, 2010

Art and Architecture



I admire the use of colors in Central Asia. I have seen things that would not appear in our home countries. For example, I would have never thought of painting the police station deep pink, or the theater mint green.

Then there is the colorful, complicated and beautiful designs that I won't attempt to explain in words. Let the pictures speak!

These pictures are from a botanical garden last weekend. We really enjoyed our walk in the park.

This is the main gate, just recently build:










What about this tile work for your kitchen?


Somebody got a sore neck for all this painting!




This is an entrance for a little post...guards maybe?


I read the camera manual and learned how to take close-up focus pictures of flowers. Soooo beautiful!



A wooden structure, where you can nestle with your love bird...can you see them? And our kids in the front riding sheep.



There is some pretty amazing wood work in Central Asia!


Funny faces in old tree trunks...


Beautiful wood work.


I should go back and see how this tree looks like now. Funny buds!


How about your wedding in this open air hall?



And then more down to earth benches...I like this style a lot!


Fun yellow flowers growing in curvy branches.


March 17, 2010

Tytön elämää Keski-Aasiassa






Tytön elämä Keski-Aasiassa on värikästä ja erilaista... Ainakin kauneuskäsitykset voivat olla aika erilaisia...


Hyvä tyttö osaa leipoa leipää...



Matot täytyy pestä joka kevät...







Kun vieraita on tulossa, täytyy pöydän olla koreana...



Matkustaminen ei aina maita...


...mutta pääsee näkemään mahtavia paikkoja...



Vaikka omat idolit ovat sukulaisten mielestä ihan kummallisia...


...niin naapurista löytyy samanhenkisiä ystäviä...


Ja täällä ystävät ovat ihan parhaita, pitävät yhtä sekä kesät...


...että talvet!

March 15, 2010

Books I love



If you checked my profile, you noticed that in the lists of interests, 'books' is the number one. I love reading. I have always been a reader. I learned to read before I turned 5. I remember the summer holiday between the 5th and 6th grade when I wrote down the name of every book I read during those three months. The list was over 100 books long!

5, or almoust 6 years ago my life changed. We had our first baby, and we moved to Central Asia. Both of those things can destroy a woman's dream of reading for hours at the time. I was a regular visitor in our library, and well, we do not have a library in our city in Central Asia. And those darn airline companies keep on tightening their overweight rules and fines...

Despite all of this, we have gathered a pile of books...we carried some in, or they have been donated by people who leave the country and don't want to carry the weight, we bought some from yard sales here, whenever we are out of country we check the book shops and fill our bags, we ask visitors to carry books in for us, we even used amazon.com to deliver us some books (they arrived just fine)!

I hope to introduce some of my favourite books for you here in my blog every now and then. Just so that you get a one more little window into my life.

The first book to introduce I have been reading on and off for couple of years. It is written by Elisabeth Elliot. If I remember right, the first book I read by her in my teens was 'Shadow of the Almighty' where she tells the story of her first husband, Jim Elliot. Since that book I have read several of her books, and I truly enjoy her writing and am challenged by her spiritual wisdom. The book I want to show you today is called 'Keep a Quiet Heart'.

It is a devotional collection of some of Elisabeth's best work from her newsletter. I ordered it because I wanted to have a devotional and I knew I would not be disappointed by EE's work. And I have not been disappointed with this one!

It is divided into five different sections:

1. Faith for the Unexplained
2. God's Curriculum
3. Called and Committed
4. Our Culture in Controversy
5. The Christian Home

The opening page has following words on it:

Do Not Rush.
Trust.
And Keep a Quiet Heart.


I like that.

It is sometimes so, so hard to keep a quiet heart. Three noisy and lively kids. People in the house almoust daily. Mix of languages. Cooking. Laundry (I like doing laundry, but does take time). Needy people. Not enough time, energy, skill, love, peace, patience... Just add to the list...

But then I read something like "The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resolute insistence on our independence." (pg.51)

Wow.

This feel like a great spiritual truth coming trough! And this book is full of those. I love it.

Just relax. Nothing will come to my path that I could not do "through Christ who strengthens me".

I like the challenging but at the same time uplifting words of EE throughout this book.

I am no martyr. I do not want to suffer. But because, as a follower of Jesus, suffering is inevitable, I want to go through it in a way that pleases God. After all, my one and only New Year resolution for this year is to learn "To Be Satisfied in God".

And I want to trust and have a quiet heart,
just like our cutie in this picture:


March 14, 2010

Beauty

I HAVE FOUND BEAUTY
by Mary Elizabeth Mahnkey


"I have found beauty
In commonplace things,
In a blue gingham apron
With crisply tied strings.

In freshly washed windows,
With checked curtains brief,
In the mottled rose gray
Of a frost-bitten leaf.

Ruby red velvet
In a tiny toad stool;
Silky green plush
In a polliwog pool."

Little friends

This is our youngest. She is wonderful. She is the reason why I think I want to have many more babies. She is cute, sleeps well, is so cute, so much fun, she has the most wonderful giggles. Did I mention she is cute, too?

Here she is in all her cuteness. She is laying on a local mattress, filled with real cotton. The real white stuff. Central Asians use the mattresses for chairs, sofas and beds.

We had visitors, and Miss Cute could play with a friend who is just two weeks younger than she is. Miss Cute was wearing a head scarf for the first time, and of course she looked really cute.

"Hi! Welcome! Wanna play?"

Her friend looks like a doll. Miss Cute is getting really excited by seeing her mom *ahem* behind the camera.
"Hi mom!"

Then she remembers that she has a visitor. It is important not to forget your visitors in this culture. "Hi dolly! It is great to have you visiting. Let's do something fun together!"

But then she just has to check if mom is still there. "Hi mommy!". "Here I am cutie!" the mom assures her. "Why don't you go and play with your friend? I'll be right here." "Dolly, let us see some smiles here!"


Dolly is finally warming up for the photos. See, she is smiling! Or maybe she is just wondering who is touching her head. Cutie: "Me like your hat. Me like your pink hat very much! Me want to feel that white little thing on your hat"

"Got it! Let me see it for a moment! I just want to have a little taste, you know, to see if I would like to have a hat like this." Poor dolly. She is wearing so many clothes that she cannot move. She is totally helpless. Her host is pulling her hat. She is loosing her smile.



"Oh! I cannot pull her hat? Not polite? Oh, okay, sorry Dolly, I just got so excited about that white round thing, you know..." I am not sure if Dolly is going to cry or laugh. She probably does not know either...

I want to have more babies!