underwater

Snowy Lviv in B&W

2011-12-27T22:25:00.000+02:00

Religion vs Gospel

2011-12-12T17:48:00.000+02:00

As sinners, we are prone to pursue a relationship with God in one of two ways. The first is religion/spirituality and the second is the gospel. The two are antithetical in every way.

Religion says that if we obey God, he will love us. The gospel says that it is because God has loved us through Jesus that we can obey. Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people. The gospel says that the world is filled with bad people who are either repentant or unrepentant. Religion says that you should trust in what you do as a good moral person. The gospel says that you should trust in the perfectly sinless life of Jesus because he alone is the only good and truly moral person who will ever live. The goal of religion is to get from God such things as health, wealth, insight, power, and control. The goal of the gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift given to us by grace. Religion is about what I have to do. The gospel is about what I get to do. Religion sees hardship in life as punishment from God. The gospel sees hardship in life as sanctifying affliction that reminds us of Jesus’ sufferings and is used by God in love to make us more like Jesus. Religion is about me. The gospel is about Jesus. Religion leads to an uncertainty about my standing before God because I never know if I have done enough to please God. The gospel leads to a certainty about my standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus on my behalf on the cross. Religion ends in either pride (because I think I am better than other people) or despair (because I continually fall short of God’s commands). The gospel ends in humble and confident joy because of the power of Jesus at work for me, in me, through me, and sometimes in spite of me.

In summary, the central point of the New Testament is that we are more wicked than we ever feared, yet more loved than we ever dreamed.

"On The New Testament" from A Book You'll Actually Read series by Mark Driscoll

Будучи грешниками, мы склонны искать Бога либо ударившись в религию/духовность, либо принимая Благую весть. Это два совершенно разных пути.

Религия гласит: Бог полюбит тебя, если ты будешь Ему повиноваться. Благая весть гласит: мы повинуемся Богу потому, что Он возлюбил нас через Иисуса. Религия говорит, что в мире есть плохие и хорошие люди. Благая весть говорит, что есть только плохие люди – либо раскаявшиеся, либо отказывающиеся это делать. Религия говорит, что нужно уповать на добрые дела и нравственное поведение. Благая весть заявляет, что следует положиться на безгрешную жизнь Иисуса, потому что только Он был хорошим и нравственным человеком. Цель религиозного человека заключается в том, чтобы получить от Бога здоровье, богатство, духовное прозрение и власть. Тот, кто принял Благую весть, не стремится завоевать Божьи дары, а ищет Самого Бога – дар, который можно получить по Его благодати. Религия требует от человека проявить определённые усилия, а Благая весть, напротив, даёт человеку силу. Религия видит в жизненных тяготах наказание от Бога, а Благая весть говорит человеку о том, что переживаемые трудности – это средство, которое, напоминая о страстях Иисуса, используется Богом, чтобы преобразить его в образ Христов. Религия сосредоточена на человеке, в центре Благой вести – Иисус. Религиозный человек не уверен в своём положении перед Богом, ибо никогда не знает, сделал ли он всё от него зависящее, чтобы угодить Творцу. Услышавший же Благую весть имеет такую уверенность, ибо крестный подвиг Иисуса гарантирует его положение перед Богом. Религия приводит либо к гордыне (если человек считает себя лучше других), либо к отчаянию (потому что человек никак не может выполнить заповедей Божьих). Благая весть, благодаря могуществу Иисуса, Который подвизается вместо меня, во мне, через меня, а иногда и вопреки мне, дарит человеку радость.

Итак, главной темой Нового Завета является истина о том, что мы гораздо нечестивее, чем могли себе вообразить, и, вместе с тем, Бог любит нас сильнее, чем мы можем себе представить.

"О Новом Завете" из серии "Книга, которую вы станете читать" Марка Дрисколла

warmest november

2011-11-06T21:27:00.000+02:00

Alexandria landscape park, Bila Tserkva

first feel of fall

2011-09-27T01:18:00.000+03:00

New favorite place - Odessa

2011-09-07T01:12:00.000+03:00

A weekend getaway to Odessa appeared to be quite eye-opening. It's such a beautiful city having to offer beyond what it's famous for. Ror me it became a place combining quite a few things i enjoy in life and like to photograph. Long streets with trees forming fairy-like arches where every building is a gorgeous piece of architectural art, small quiet courtyards with clothes lines and shabby walls... And right where the streets end, the endless sea starts filled with tiny white sailboats cheerfully crossing blue waters and grand cargo ships waiting for their turn at the largest seaport in the country. Odessa made me fall in love with the first steps down its streets and conquered me with the first glance of the sea. Looking forward to going back!

remembering summer

2011-08-31T20:59:00.001+03:00

summer fresh

2011-07-10T17:46:00.000+03:00

the vertical element of worship

2011-07-04T00:05:00.002+03:00

Biblical worship is God-focused (God is clearly seen), God-centered (God is clearly the priority), and God-exalting (God is clearly honored).

Gathering to praise God can't be a means to some "greater" end, such as church growth, evangelism, or personal ministry. God isn't a genie we summon by rubbing the bottle called "worship". He doesn't exist to help us get where we really want to go. God is where we want to go.

- Bob Kauflin. "Worship Matters"

"White Owl" by Josh Garrels

2011-06-24T19:11:00.000+03:00

Illustration/Animation: www.danielandarian.com
Music: www.joshgarrels.com

Approach, My Soul, The Mercy Seat - John Newton

2011-05-12T00:26:00.000+03:00

I spent a bit of time choosing a verse to post on Facebook and eventually decided this hymn is worth posting as a whole. Beautiful, beautiful words!

Approach, my soul, the mercy seat,
Where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet,
For none can perish there.

Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.

Bowed down beneath a load of sin,
By Satan sorely pressed,
By war without and fears within,
I come to Thee for rest.

Be Thou my Shield and hiding Place,
That, sheltered by Thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face,
And tell him Thou hast died!

O wondrous love! to bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead Thy gracious Name.

"Poor tempest-tossed soul, be still;
My promised grace receive";
'Tis Jesus speaks — I must, I will,
I can, I do believe.

A search for this hymn was inspired by an equally beautiful song by Jamie Barnes. If you haven't had a chance to hear the song yet, you can download it from Justin Taylor's blog.

A few posts i stumbled upon also feature an interesting quote by Martin Luther. You Luther experts can say if these are his words or not, but in any way that is a notable statement.

You should tell the devil, "Just by telling me that I am a miserable, great sinner you are placing a sword and a weapon into my hand with which I can decisively overcome you; yea, with your own weapon I can kill and floor you. For if you tell me that I am a poor sinner, I, on the other hand, can tell you that Christ dies for sinners and is their Intercessor… You remind me of the boundless, great faithfulness and benefaction of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The burden of my sins and all the trouble and misery that were to oppress me eternally He very gladly took upon His shoulders and suffered the bitter death on the cross for them. To Him I direct you. You may accuse and condemn Him. Let me rest in peace, for on His shoulders, not on mine, lie all my sins and the sins of all the world."

happy women's day

2011-03-08T17:21:00.000+02:00

merry christmas

2010-12-24T22:06:00.000+02:00

since i'm on sick leave and have too much time on my hands

2010-12-14T19:20:00.000+02:00

i know, i know - y'all have missed sam nelson and been wondering how he's doing. thank you, he appreciates your concern very much. currently, he's recovering from this mysterious illness which could be herpes or anything else and which caused an ugly bloody wound on his nose. it's been a hard week for him, but he's clearly recovering because he's climbing shelves again and at the moment is trying hard to place his head on the keyboard right under my typing fingers:)

a little sun on a winter day

2010-12-11T15:24:00.000+02:00

sharing our heavenly father with the fatherless

2010-11-17T23:17:00.000+02:00

This past weekend a group of us girls from the church headed to this boarding school orphanage half an hour away from Bila Tserkva, Ukraine. It was my first time, however my girls have been visiting these kids for over two years now and have grown to love them more and more with every visit. Our goal was to share a message that God knows them, loves them, and provides for them. Our church and friends raised some money for the kids, so we were able to give them small gifts of toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, socks and underwear - simple things that they often lack. I'm looking forward to going back & spending more time with these little ones: it's such a pure blessing to see that they love you simply because you're there and to be able to love them because God does and gracefully shares this joy with us.

Pray for them to come to know Jesus and find life in him.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction... James 1:27 ESV

Thank you Olya Velichko for making this lovely video!

these 7 words

2010-11-17T17:03:00.000+02:00

"These 7 Words" by Jon Acuff

We sometimes think we must be superheros for God. We sometimes drop the second half of Philippians 4:13 and instead just say, “I can do all things…” We sometimes want our Goliath moments without ever wrestling bears first. But that’s not what we see in the Bible.

Joseph told Pharaoh, I can’t but God can.

Moses told God flat out, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

David didn’t show up to fight Goliath, he brought lunch. He didn’t say, “I can,” he said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

We might not like to say it, but I think that as believers, we are the “people of I can’t.” But that’s OK, because we serve the God who “can.”

There will be challenges ahead. Dreams that are bigger than your talents. Giants taller than your abilities. Cliffs higher than your hopes. And as you survey them, don’t worry. Don’t fear. Don’t tremble. But also, don’t lose sight of the 7 words of Joseph:

“I cannot do it, but God will…”

Click here to read the whole post.

rockin'

2010-11-07T22:35:00.000+02:00

good bye october

2010-10-31T21:11:00.000+02:00

going to and from work

2010-10-13T12:46:00.000+03:00

it's good to have a tiny point-and-shoot camera with me at all times :)

on my way to slavutich train station

on the train

7:30am yesterday

amazing google search

2010-10-12T17:02:00.000+03:00

i'm a big fan of search engines. i google anything and everything and the fact that it all can be googled amuses me big time.

now google suggest is a nice little thing. its results are based on what people search most often, and it completes your search automatically as soon as you type what you need in a search box. not only can it be helpful, but also very entertaining. just type in "how to" and you'll be amazed at what people are interested in:

russian speaking users seem to appreciate healthy life style more and long to look good (how to run, ride a bicycle, cook rice, shave legs and clean your liver...lol)

regardless the language, everyone seems to want to know how to kiss and lose weight. priceless!

mushroom hunt

2010-10-09T22:06:00.000+03:00

i had a chance to take a short walk in the woods the other day. found three mushrooms and was given one. took them home to take pictures. i dont really feel comfortable eating forest mushrooms, it was much more enjoyable to see them where they actually belong. forest is quite a beautiful place in the fall, hope i can go there sometime again with my camera.

my street at night

2010-10-09T21:14:00.001+03:00

sam nelson :: chilling in the balcony

2010-09-25T13:18:00.000+03:00

c.s. lewis. mere christianity

2010-09-01T17:12:00.001+03:00

i finally finished reading this book last night.

it was my first by c.s.lewis. i made it my vacation read when i took a trip to the sea in the end of june/beginning of july. and i finished it just now. i am a very inconsistent reader...

all in all, i enjoyed 'mere christianity'. it is a book i needed to read. lately i've been struggling with thoughts about lack of logic in being a christian, anomaly of it if i dare say so. i've been thinking how easy and natural it is to love self, to care about what self wants and needs. in other words, it seems natural to put oneself in the center of the universe. and why, i asked myself, does it have to be so hard to follow christ? it feels inconvenient and natural, it seems illogical. why do i have to continually talk myself into wanting to be good, when it is so natural to be bad? and on and on and on...

my problem was that i applied this seeming lack of logic only to christianity. c.s. lewis, as i already said, explains things using examples that put the world around me into patterns, logical and clear. he showed me that what seemed to me a lack of logic is actually mere logic. nothing good comes from following the natural. because nothing natural is good. if you want good you have to fight for it. you have to learn and to develop, be it walking, talking, writing, driving, or knowing and loving god. it all doesnt come naturally. it all takes effort.

here are two more excerpts from the book that among others spoke to me on this topic.

From chapter "Faith"

Now Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable. This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods "where they get off," you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion. Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.
The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed.

From chapter "The New Men"

I like to believe: most of what I call "me" can be very easily explained. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His Personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own. At the beginning I said there were Personalities in God. I will go further now. There are no real personalities anywhere else. Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self. Sameness is to be found most among the most "natural" men, not among those who surrender to Christ. How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints.
But there must be a real giving up of the self. You must throw it away "blindly" so to speak. Christ will indeed give you a real personality: but you must not go to Him for the sake of that. As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether. Your real, new self (which is Christ's and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up your self, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.

reading a book

2010-08-30T09:33:00.000+03:00

sam nelson :: it's been too long

2010-08-27T13:45:00.000+03:00

some pictures of people and places in che

2010-08-20T14:18:00.000+03:00

love others like yourself?

2010-08-20T11:10:00.000+03:00

I discovered C.S.Lewis to be a real master of explanation. He explains things simply, looking at them at the angle i never do, and prompting me to see a handful of things in a very new light.

Here is an extract from Forgiveness chapter of his book "Mere Christianity" which unfolds the statement "love others as yourself". I often failed to come to terms with this statement, and Lewis actually made it fit nicely in my head :)

We might try to understand exactly what loving your neighbour as yourself means. I have to love him as I love myself. Well, how exactly do I love myself?

Now that I come to think of it, I have not exactly got a feeling of fondness or affection for myself, and I do not even always enjoy my own society. So apparently "Love your neighbour" does not mean "feel fond of him" or "find him attractive." I ought to have seen that before, because, of course, you cannot feel fond of a person by trying. Do I think well of myself, think myself a nice chap? Well, I am afraid I sometimes do (and those are, no doubt, my worst moments) but that is not why I love myself. In fact, it is the other way round: my self-love makes me think myself nice, but thinking myself nice is not why I love myself. So loving my enemies does not apparently mean thinking them nice either. That is an enormous relief. For a good many people imagine that forgiving your enemies means making out that they are really not such bad fellows after all, when it is quite plain that they are. Go a step further. In my most clear-sighted moments not only do I not think myself a nice man, but I know that I am a very nasty one. I can look at some of the things I have done with horror and loathing. So apparently I am allowed to loathe and hate some of the things my enemies do. Now that I come to think of it, I remember Christian teachers telling me long ago that I must hate a bad man's actions, but not hate the bad man: or, as they would say, hate the sin but not the sinner.

For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life-namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things. Consequently, Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid. But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere, he can be cured and made human again.
<...>
That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saving he is nice when he is not. I admit that this means loving people who have nothing lovable about them. But then, has oneself anything lovable about it? You love it simply because it is yourself, God intends us to love all selves in the same way and for the same reason: but He has given us the sum ready worked out on our own case to show us how it works. We have then to go on and apply the rule to all the other selves. Perhaps it makes it easier if we remember that that is how He loves us. Not for any nice, attractive qualities we think we have, but just because we are the things called selves.

che fountains

2010-08-02T17:24:00.000+03:00

make the heat less ugly :)

one day at church

2010-06-11T14:38:00.000+03:00

if you click the picture, you can view some more in my facebook album. i hope the link works...

sunset the other day

2010-06-11T11:17:00.000+03:00

che is surprising. and beautiful

2010-06-07T11:56:00.000+03:00

i realize how little i get to walk around my hometown, when i spot something new and people say it's been there for ages and add after a pause, "are you not local?"
here's a new monument right in the center, by "ekaterinka" church!


TO THE FIGHTERS FOR FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF UKRAINE

and i love our fountains! :)

singing and making melody to the lord

2010-06-04T16:43:00.000+03:00

Music and singing are necessary to Christian faith and worship for the simple reason that the realities of God and Christ, creation and salvation,heaven and hell are so great that when they are known truly and felt duly,they demand more than discussion and analysis and description; they demand poetry and song and music. Singing is the Christian's way of saying: God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling;and talking will not suffice, there must be singing.
- John Piper. Singing and Making Melody To The Lord

open space

2010-06-04T08:21:00.001+03:00

this had been my warm spot until couple of weeks ago. warm in the sense of nice.

this is my warm spot now. well, somewhere in the middle. warm in the sense of hot and stuffy.

tanya's b-day party

2010-06-03T14:36:00.000+03:00

last saturday we had a birthday party for tanya at jake & anya's. spending some good time in a good company with some good food is always a treat. i was a lil' lazy to take pictures, but still have a few.

at first, our sweet tanya

someone made her this cute looking birthday sign which said "happy birthday" on one side, and "wonderful day" on the other side. tanya wore it on her purse all night long :)

some guests now.
funny guys:

lovely ladies:

SVETA & OLYA

MIRA

jake, the bbq guru, and vitalik aka sokolov, jake's taster

jake and anya's kiddos.
maia, future world famous rockstar

lev, as serious as his papa

and as fun :)

he giveth more grace by annie johnson flint

2010-05-19T15:43:00.000+03:00

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials he multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

illusion

2010-05-19T11:06:00.000+03:00

before i blog about our trip to lviv that oksana and i took earlier this month - i have over a thousand pictures i need to go through to choose some good ones to post - i want to share this one story.

i specifically wanted to find this one building in lviv which i saw in the pictures of my friend. one side of the building seemed to be just a little over a meter wide! this was unbelievable cuz people live in the building and i could only imagine how its rooms look like. so i took oksana and zhenya who currently serves in bishkek, kyrgyzstan, and came over to lviv just for a day to visit the church there, and dragged them on a mission to find the miraculous building.

when i asked my friend for directions to where i can find the building, he mentioned it was not all that special but didnt bother to specify not special how - when we finally got there we saw this:

moral: do not buy into anything before you see it with your own eyes!
this does not apply to God, however haha :) cuz "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!"

podusovka boarding school

2010-05-19T10:06:00.000+03:00

this past sunday i took my camera to the boarding school a group from our church visits every week. i look at my pictures now and cannot believe i've known these kids for quite a long time. i praise God he gives each of us on our team the desire to come back to them every sunday, to love them and sustains us to not grow weary sharing Christ with them regardless how inattentive or harsh they may be at times. i know God is at work.

tracy, this one is for you!

this little one is andrey. he is very cute, but often can be just really aggressive running around and hitting everybody. conor is one of very few people who can make him sit down for the bible story. however, i love this last shot when andrey tried to spit at someone from under conor's arm :D
never boring!

the early worm

2010-05-11T11:28:00.000+03:00

the early worm: "

asphalt message

2010-04-28T09:11:00.000+03:00

this reminded me of this tradition of men to write messages to their wives under the windows of maternity hospital, "thank you for our son" or "thank you for our daughter". unlike this one message was written under the windows of chris & reenie's apartment building, "natasha, i love you. anton".

natasha must have been happy to see this. or not.. *wicked grin*

people, be careful with where you leave your messages.

How Much Does God Love This Church?

2010-04-21T10:32:00.001+03:00

i read this piece over and over again, and it is just so encouraging. that's what freedom is - God's love. he is the only one who understands it all right. and we are stinking sinners forgiven by his grace and given just so much.

How Much Does God Love This Church?:
(Author: David Mathis)

The Bible is packed with stunning displays of God's love for his people. But strangely to many hearts, God reminds his dearly loved people again and again that he loves them for his own sake.

Why this continual reminder? Does this, in the end, spoil his seemingly great love for us?

Not in the least. In fact, such a reminder is a manifestation of how exceedingly great is God's love for his people. He loves them too much to let them be content with having self as the bottom, or deepest foundation, of their soul's delight. God does make much of us, but he loves us more than to merely make much of us for our own sakes. It is greater love to make much of us for his sake, for his glory.

Make no mistake about it, we are precious to God—so precious that he will not have us make that preciousness into our god, but he continually reminds us to have our Savior, not ourselves, as our deepest joy. Even our glorified finite selves will not eternally satisfy, but forever will our infinitely glorious Savior make us supremely happy.

my honeybunch :)

2010-04-19T14:07:00.000+03:00

some spring

2010-04-07T17:12:00.000+03:00

long time, no sam on here, huh? *soaking in the spring sun*

it's good to have something black on if you like warmth. sam nelson is the luckiest in this case.

such a cute composition across the road from my office. and very welcoming dogs..

some leaf buds. welcome spring!

тонкости деловой переписки

2010-04-07T10:37:00.001+03:00

хорошо посмеяться на рабочую тему, скрашивает рутину.

Thank you very much for your email.
Господи, это опять вы....

This meeting could be an opportunity for our two institutions to investigate if there are some interest on this business activity.
Нам эта ваша сделка сто лет не нужна, но ресторанчик вы выбрали неплохой...

We will do our best to proceed with your request however for the best result the documents should reach us not later than tomorrow.
Если до завтра не предоставите документы, пеняйте на себя. Тут вам не детский сад.

You can find this information in our Terms and Conditions.
Вы читать умеете?

This is our kind reminder.
Сколько можно напоминать!

Please sign in the place marked with yellow sticker.
Неужели так сложно подписать документ там, где нужно.

Let's reconfirm the figures.
Что у тебя в школе было по математике?

Thank you for your kind assistance.
Мы лучше сделаем это сами.

Kindly find attached.
Я уже сто раз вам это присылал.

I"ll look into it and revert soonest.
Ага, сейчас все брошу и побегу разбираться.

Please kindly review the matter again.
Да поймите же вы наконец.

I hope this helps, otherwise please do not hesitate to contact us.
Надеюсь, что теперь вы перестанете надоедать своими вопросами.

Thank you for your patience.
Какой же вы зануда...

We will let you know in due course.
Даже и не надейтесь, что мы откроем вам счет.

We would be happy to offer you the most favourable conditions on the case-to-case basis.
У нас не те масштабы, чтобы возиться с вашей мелочью.

So if you have eventually some needs from your clientele, it can have a real added-value.
Вот когда подрастете, тогда и приходите.

We regret to know that you are not satisfied with our services.
Ой-ой, напугал!

We look forward to hearing from you.
Ну и пожалуйста. Не очень-то и хотелось.

Good to hear from you and have a nice weekend.
Хотя бы в пятницу отстаньте уже.

Very best regards.
Ха-ха (три раза).

angus & julia stone : big jet plane

2010-03-31T14:00:00.005+03:00

angus and julia stone are good. their new album "down the way" has just been released. this song is my favorite. they posted this new video just a few days ago, and i discovered there's another version of this song by lady of the sunshine which is angus stone's solo project (second video - not very creative though haha). if you listen to both, comment to let me know which version you like more.

ryan muirhead : digital is from mars, film is from venus

2010-03-24T09:07:00.000+02:00

that is one cool analogy from ryan muirhead:

Digital is a Man: If you are wondering what exactly you are dealing with it will tell you. It has a screen and a histogram and tons of technical readouts to tell you exactly what is going on. It’s all about new gadgets, the latest and greatest. It likes to go fast and and not spend too much time on any one thing. Its results are instant and unsurprising.

Film is a Woman: First off there are a million things affecting the moment. The temperature, the film, the exposure, the metering, the processing, the scanning… all of this has to go just right before you ever even see what is really going on. If you have to ask what is going on it’s certainly not going to tell you. Just the sheer amount of unique chemistry involved is terrifying. However when you get it all right it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

Океан Ельзи та Бреговіч стануть хедлайнерами фестивалю "Stare Misto"

2010-03-12T14:57:00.003+02:00

LVIV
GORAN BREGOVIC
OKEAN ELZY
MAY 22, 2010

I SIMPLY NEED TO BE THERE!

22 травня у Львові на стадіоні «Україна» пройде третій рок-фестиваль «Stare Misto». Хедлайнерами фестивалю стануть українська рок-група Океан Ельзи та сербський музикант і композитор Горан Бреговіч (Goran Bregovic).

Океан Ельзи презентуватиме концертну програму, що триватиме понад 2 години. Вона поєднає у собі пісні з нового альбому "Dolce Vita" та добірку найвідоміших хітів. До речі, саме Львів стане першим українським містом, який Океан Ельзи відвідають у рамках річного концертного "Dolce Vita туру".

У Львові Горан Бреговіч запрезентує свою нову півторагодинну концертну програму "Alcohol", що складатиметься з його найвідоміших композицій за останні 30 років.

Фестиваль триватиме майже 8 годин. Вартість квитка – від 40 грн.

blogger template designer

2010-03-12T09:23:00.003+02:00

life is funny even in the smallest silliest things :)

yesterday i spent tons of time picking a new template for my blog. it's hard to find a template with a wide field for post, and that's what i was looking for, because i want posted pictures to be of bigger size and hence more viewable. moreover, most templates are made for wordpress and dont look all that good on blogspot. i know people are moving to wordpress all the time, but i wont give up on google blogger that easy. when i finally came across a template titled "underwater", i knew i couldnt just walk away, after all that's the exact title of my blog.

so i picked that one only to discover it doesnt have customizable fonts and colors which meant i had to spend hours browsing through this html abracadabra to edit fonts and colors. i am bad at html, but as i said i dont give up easily. eventually, i made this template bear at least slightest resemblance to what i wanted and sighed with relief.

or rather this way :)

and this morning the following post by blogger buzz showed up in my google reader: express yourself with the blogger template designer. in a word, now google bloggers can play with a handful of tools to design their own template and not bother with html or whatever else is needed to create a template. frankly, i could use their help yesterday! but anyways, i have my underwater template and will remain content for a while :)

hope you all are doing great! happy friday!

clayton austin : and i'm happy to see snow again

2010-03-10T17:06:00.010+02:00

i simply need to go back!

2010-03-10T17:00:00.002+02:00

joshua caine. my new favorite

2010-02-25T09:55:00.005+02:00

yes, this morning i found this post from green wedding shoes in my google reader, clicked the link, and joshua caine won my heart at first sight! i'm in love with his site! all the ships, waves, shooting cannons, and how it all works - you must know how i love sea theme!

and his photographs are so good! he totally made my morning :)

so click the screenshot below and meet my new favorite, joshua caine!

Wedding. Bogdan and Mira

2010-02-22T11:45:00.002+02:00

Bogdan and Mira got married a week ago. I really loved their wedding. Everything and everyone was so beautiful.

I uploaded some pictures, you can check them by clicking the picture below.

Wedding. Bogdan and Mira

my favorite fringe poster so far

2010-02-01T13:00:00.000+02:00

Dolce Vita

2010-01-28T17:16:00.002+02:00

I am so excited about this new album by Okean Elzy coming out this March!

If you didnt know they've been my favorite Ukrainian band for years and no music newbies can come and take their place!

Okean Elzy just announced Dolce Vita Tour in over 70 cities in Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the USA. Concerts in Kyiv are on 2nd and 3rd of June. I so wish i could go, but it's Wed-Thu, so it's unlikely.

Okean Elzy frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk says in the new album they "returned to the sound of the first album "Yananebibuv", which means four instruments and vocals". "We want to give our listeners the "Okean Elzy" they love - sincere and real", says Vakarchuk.

Can't wait, can't wait!

And by the way, if you go here you can download Dolce Vita track for free. They ask to enter your email at the bottom of the page and press "Надіслати" - you'll get the link for the download by email; i did that, it works :)

And here you can watch a video clip for another song on the album.

Here's a funny video presenting the album. Laughter is indeed contagious :)

ringshots

2010-01-25T11:20:00.002+02:00

When i look through wedding photography sites, i often see shots of not only wedding rings of bride and groom but also the engagement ring. I dont know about you, but every time it looks weird to me - two people but three rings...

Both shots belong to Sloan Photographers.

feisbuk is the analog version of facebook

2010-01-25T09:34:00.001+02:00

this is just so funny.
check this article:
feisbuk is the analog version of facebook

winter walkabout

2010-01-19T22:54:00.002+02:00

one of my favorite winter moments when every single inch of every tree is covered with glazing ice.

Jessica Claire - An Exquisite Wedding Shoot In Hollywood

2010-01-14T10:55:00.004+02:00

If you like wedding photography, have a look at this shoot by Jessica Claire. The bride is just so pretty!

Tithing as Honoring the Creator as Owner of All

2010-01-11T21:38:00.002+02:00

When we release a tenth of our income and give it over to the ministry and mission of Christ in the world, we honor the Creator rights of God who owns everything, including all our income.

One objection to thinking of a tenth of our income as especially belonging to God is that ALL our money belongs to God.

Psalm 24:1,
The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.

God is wise and knows us deeply. He knows that there is something wrong with the husband who answers his wife's complaint that he doesn't give her any time by saying, "What do you mean, I don't give you my time? ALL my time is yours. I work all day long for you and the children." That has a very hollow ring to it if he doesn't give her any "especially time." Giving her some evenings together and some dates does not deny that all his time is for her, it proves it. This is why God declares one day in seven especially God's. They are all his, and making one special proves it.

And this is the way it is with our money and God. Giving God a tenth of our income does not deny that all our money is God's, it proves that we believe it. Tithing is like a constant offering of the first fruits of the whole thing. The tenth is yours, O, Lord, in a special way, because all of it is yours in an ordinary way.

I believe the tithe should be the first check we write after the income deposit is made in the bank. And when you write it, you put a seal over what's left: GOD'S. The tithe reminds us of that, and proves that we really believe it.

John Piper. "Toward the Tithe and Beyond. How God Funds His Work."
Full sermon here.

girls are evil :D

2010-01-07T23:03:00.001+02:00

i just came across this thing. i've never seen it before, although it seems to be very popular in the internet.

it's funny!

25

2010-01-07T22:50:00.002+02:00

Yesterday i turned 25! It feels huge, i mean it sounds adult, and it's weird cuz i dont feel like i've grown up at all! I dont know if this ever changes, life is so short in fact, and time is flying like crazy.

I'm thankful for my birthday this year. I had enough rest because i didnt have to worry about exams or any kind of studies, nor about work cuz i took a week off for holidays. I watched one very not-happy-holidays movie, Law Abiding Citizen. Had coffee and ice-cream in one of the coolest cafe in Che with Olya and Oksana. And the greatest ending of the day was celebrating Christmas with my church. We read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible, worshiped the Lord, had plenty of candies and some cake. And this time i managed to take some pics of people instead of cookies :)

Oksana

Olya

Olya & Oksana

Myself & Oksana

Mira & Bogdan. They're getting married in a lil' over a month!

Jake

Vitalik & Chris

Aida & Sergey (Aida's got the sweetest Christmas sweater!)

Andrey & Ira

Vitek & Valya

Vika, Vitek's wife, & their daughter Karina

Vladushka

Mark, such a cute little boy

Merry Christmas

2010-01-07T22:07:00.004+02:00

This year our church held a Christmas concert at Chernihiv Philharmonic Hall. We had a team coming from Atlanta, Georgia, who have been coming to Ukraine for i dont know how many years, and in the past few years they became good friends of our church. Last year David Carnes, a talented pianist, came with the team and played at our church for Christmas. And this year he kindly agreed to play at the concert. For some compositions David had Christine Harris play piccolo trumpet with him. It was such a treat to listen to a handful of variations on famous Christmas tunes, it was wonderful and truly blessed my heart and hearts of all present there, i believe.

Vlada did a great job leading the concert.

After the concert we could hang out a bit and have some dessert. Everyone brought a little something and as a result we had a real feast! It was a real fun evening!

I love how this philharmonic ceiling lamp looks like a little desk lamp when turned upside down :)

I was so into taking pictures of cookies, angels and lamps that i took very few pictures of people! But i still have some to share.

Olya & i

Olya, Valya & Valya

One sweet family: Anya, Lyosha, Mark & Nikita

Lev Knotts

That's how we see Oksanka these days, now that she's got her camera :)

2010 arrived!

2010-01-07T21:10:00.002+02:00

I guess it's time for the first post in the new year. And for the start i thought i'd share some pictures of my Christmas tree and decorations :)
Happy New Year!

the north face femphonic

2009-12-16T22:06:00.001+02:00

perfect brand
perfect color
fun idea of an audio jacket
i would definitely buy an ipod if i had this one :)

2009-12-12T22:32:00.001+02:00

today we celebrated my aunt's birthday & i had a chance to have some fun with liza, my cousin's adorable little daughter. she is so funny! i know the pictures' quality is bad, i took them with my cell phone, but alas, no other option available.

liza's cute smile

liza in in her grandfather's hat

snow white's revenge

2009-11-09T14:47:00.000+02:00

nerd diagram

2009-11-09T14:24:00.000+02:00

jessica claire

2009-11-01T19:17:00.001+02:00

if you like photography, wedding photography in particular, check out the photoshoot of jessica claire and jeff norwood's wedding: 1, 2, 3, 4. this wedding style and colors are amazing. their wedding photographers were style me pretty, jose villa, angel and becker.

jessica clair is a photographer, you might want to check her site for her great shoots.

annie brooks

2009-10-27T15:58:00.002+02:00

i discovered annie brooks on
thesixtyone.com.

she writes cute songs, has a lovely voice and her art style is warm and happy.

annie posts her works on her blog, you can also find a miniplayer with some of her songs there.

her site provides couple of her videos and more information about her and her music.

work vs. home

2009-10-07T11:07:00.002+03:00

international translation day card 2009 from FIT

2009-09-30T14:39:00.002+03:00

i didnt even know...

2009-09-30T14:34:00.002+03:00

...that today is international translation day.

wikipedia informs:

International Translation Day is celebrated every year on 30 September on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered as the patron saint of translators. The celebrations have been promoted by FIT (the International Federation of Translators) ever since it was set up in 1953. In 1991 FIT launched the idea of an officially recognised International Translation Day to show solidarity of the worldwide translation community in an effort to promote the translation profession in different countries (not necessarily only in Christian ones). This is an opportunity to display pride in a profession that is becoming increasingly essential in the era of progressing globalisation.

2009-09-25T07:57:00.001+03:00

now that's cool!

2009-09-12T09:09:00.002+03:00

good morning :)

2009-09-11T10:06:00.004+03:00

novate.ru

2009-09-11T09:41:00.002+03:00

Some time ago i came across this Russian internet community of people who are into design - design of anything: architecture, interior, industrial design, well basically anything that comes to mind. I especially like different clocks & watches they blog about. Check out some pics below & visit the site if you're interested - novate.ru.

2009-09-09T17:15:00.002+03:00

I've almost finished reading a book by M. Maciel and J. Jacquart called "The Seeker", a biography of Jeff Johnson. I came across this simple idea of Chuck Smith which i find very encouraging:

When i come up with something i don't know, i always fall back on something i DO know. And i know God is good. Never give up what you do know for what you don't know.

2009-09-03T21:27:00.001+03:00

this is one crazy awesome bear chair!!

and this is one funny jolly blog!

2009-08-29T21:20:00.004+03:00

2009-08-29T20:21:00.002+03:00

wow. i'm impressed. i never knew it.
and i'd never have agreed to change that for euros :)

2009-08-23T23:23:00.005+03:00

vincent laforet.
downtown los angeles.

i like this shot.

click the image to check his blog.
click here to go to his website

2009-08-23T20:04:00.001+03:00

my new coffee joy.

NOVARKA in the clouds

2009-08-17T22:01:00.007+03:00

decided to explore my cell phone shots collection. usually it's a trash collection (what else can you get with 1.23 megapixel if it's not a bright day and every object is not dead still...), but sometimes i find couple of funny shots. like this one, for example. took a minute on site to pose in my hard hat. what a mug!

chernobyl. abandoned house

2009-08-17T21:56:00.004+03:00

i like this shot.
i think it looks weird and cool.

Little Kitten Liza

2009-08-17T21:47:00.001+03:00

My cousin's little daughter Liza on her first birthday this past Sunday. I'm the only child in my family and only have cousins, so i call Liza my niece. Here's the Little Kitten:

2009-06-10T15:10:00.001+03:00

Yesterday these cute guys arrived in Ukraine, and a few of my coworkers and i went to the border of Exclusion Zone to meet trucks transporting them and escort them to the place of their offloading. I spent quite much time translating shipping documents for them both, and it was such a pleasant feeling to see them arriving - like finally meeting a person i'd been only exchanging emails for couple of months :) Was a good day, though too hot inside our car, too much clothes on and invisible yet present radiation... hee hee! That's how i'm growing to love trucks, cranes, wheel loaders and different kinds of equipment :)

why i love saturdays even more now

2009-05-30T23:50:00.003+03:00

I love Saturdays cuz it's a day when i have nothing planned and can do whatever i feel like doing, with no agenda :) But recently i've added one reason to love Saturdays more.

Some time ago i started having abdominal pains that i couldn't identify. I got to see a few doctors that came up with a few diagnoses which still may not be the reasons behind my pains cuz i continue having them time to time regardless couple of different treatments i got. I had esophagogastroduodenoscopy done (26 letters, i copy-pasted it...) and was told i have to stick to a diet till the end of my life if i dont want an ulcer or other serious nasty things. So for the first time in my life i have to pay specific attention to what i eat and drink. Meaning i should not eat roasted chicken and fries (and anything roasted or fried and that kind), and i should not have chocolate and coffee... Well, if you know me, you know what "no coffee" means for me. But... one of the doctors i consulted said that i can have coffee with milk. Every other piece of information i came across told me i cannot have coffee at all or i cannot have strong coffee. So pretty much i faced the dilemma (drama drama). Finally i gave in and came up with a coffee schedule - a cup of homemade latte once a week. So now Saturday mornings are much treasured as i sit down with a cup of coffee.

Of course my diet doesnt mean i cannot have some of this or that "forbidden" food or drink once in a while, the point is not to worsen my current condition. But as a human i very well know how easily i can be lured and self-deceived and do things that i realize will only hurt myself. I understand it's important to practice discipline and will power, and i pretty much am excited i got a chance to do that, even though in such an unpleasant way. Well, the harder the lesson, the more precious the knowledge and strength.

St George Ribbon. I remember. I am proud.

2009-05-09T13:10:00.006+03:00

At work we were given black and orange ribbons as a way to show we celebrate the Victory Day. We can wear it or tie somewhere in our offices. One of the foreigners i work with asked what that ribbon means. And although i could answer it was somehow connected to the Victory Day and all the war topic, to my shame i realized i have no idea what this ribbon exactly is about. So i looked for more information online, and now i know the black and orange ribbon is the ribbon of St.George which appeared as a part of the Order of St.George established in 1769 as the highest military decoration of Imperial Russia. It then traveled through Russian history as a part of different awards given to soldiers. Black stands for smoke or gunpowder, and orange stands for fire. In 2005, 60th anniversary of the Victory Day, Russia introduced a new tradition, "St.George Ribbon. I remember. I am proud", when ribbons are freely given in the streets to anyone who would like to wear it as a sign of commemoration and remembrance of the WWII victory in 1945. I'm glad it's in Ukraine now also, so we could show our respect for people who defended our land in that terrible war. It's amazing to see these old grandpas and grandmas who saw the war with their own eyes and fought for freedom with their own hands, to see them still alive, wearing their awards and carrying flowers, rejoicing over their victory.

lviv, here we are

2009-05-07T09:50:00.001+03:00

so olya and i spent 3 great days in lviv! i loved the trip. and i didnt have enough and wanna go back :)

couldnt decide what pictures i want to upload, so i uploaded a good half of them :)

enjoy!

'09 lviv

lviv, i'm coming

2009-04-29T09:23:00.003+03:00

Olya and i are going to Lviv, the cultural center of Ukraine, for a weekend. I was supposed to go with Oksana, but due to unexpected circumstances Oksana had to change her plans, and i successfully talked Olya into joining me for a three-day trip to a dream city :)

Over one million people visit Lviv every year. It was pretty hard to find a place to stay there and to get train tickets because May 1-2 are public holidays and everyone's heading there for vacation.

I hope God blesses us with some good weather and quality time with Olya and this beautiful place.

I'm sure it's going to be a blast.

[Photo unashamedly stolen from Alexander Petrov's collection]

2009-04-19T00:19:00.003+03:00

my cell phone still doesnt work but i'm using my mom's old cell. so those who do call me - please do, but name yourself as i dont have any of the numbers...

and to those of you in ukraine and whoever connects to it - З ВЕЛИКОДНЕМ! happy resurrection day! the one we hope in lives!

2009-04-14T15:31:00.002+03:00

in case you call me & cant reach me - MY PHONE DOESNT WORK.

VNOCHI concert. yesssss

2009-04-10T10:32:00.003+03:00

i went there.
i loved it.
i'm very very pleased.
vakarchuk signed my Vnochi cd case.

2009-04-07T14:08:00.002+03:00

i've realized i love drinking coffee from paper cups. adding a chocolate candy with a hazelnut inside makes a good afternoon :)

a few reasons to appreciate getting up at 4.30am

2009-04-06T07:57:00.002+03:00

my day is longer.

i can watch the sun rise.

i can enjoy the calm and freshness of the morning & hear the birds sing.

i can hear the national anthem played by the local military band every morning at 6 am.

"when i awake, i shall be satisfied with your likeness" psalm 17:15 esv

2009-04-02T14:49:00.002+03:00

i wanna go there so much. i got a ticket. i hope it all works fine. then in a week i'll be enjoying the concert.

2009-03-12T22:45:00.001+02:00

why do people think it's weird to talk to yourself, but it's okay to write to yourself? in a diary, for example.
or do we secretly hope someone will read what we write?

death: friend or foe

2009-03-10T23:43:00.002+02:00

Naturally people are very much afraid of death. Not afraid are those who believe there isn't any kind of existence after death. Otherwise they are in panic fear of death. In order to eliminate the panic people deny the reality of afterlife (the above There Is No Afterlife) or create pseudo reality of what will happen after they die. The most popular kinds of deceit are Rest In Peace and Better Place. The eastern type of deceit that is quickly getting popular is Reincarnation, i.e. we'll yet have another chance, this is not the end. These help people lull the fear and continue living in comfortable self-deceit until death shatters its sand castle. Thus death is an enemy.

God's version is death is gain. Though God's reality is not what awaits us after life. God's reality is life itself, Life Eternal. Thus death is friend. How do i become friends with death?

What struck me most in Philippians 1:21 is that for the equation to work, for death to become gain, Christ must become my life.

to die = gain
IF
to live = Christ

2009-03-09T00:42:00.004+02:00

And also this:

Marriage and singleness both present us with unique trials and unique opportunities for our sanctification. There will be unique rewards for each, and which is greater will not depend on whether you were married or single, but on how you responded to each.

2009-03-09T00:23:00.001+02:00

I haven't heard many preachers in these 5 years since i became a Christian. At the same time, if i'd count all the preachers i heard at conferences, there'd be quite a handful. But i'm talking about those whose teachings i heard a lot, on different topics, both God related and people related, concerning both spiritual matters and our daily routine. That's when i think you can say you know and agree or disagree with the individual preacher's position. Two preachers that i've heard a lot are Jake Knotts and Conor McNamee. The third most listened to happens to be John Piper. Desiring God provides with tons of his resources which are easily accessible. Regardless of other people's opinions about Piper, i find him truly inspiring. Not just because of his gift as a preacher, but firstly because of the message he conveys through any of his teachings. For this very reason i appreciate Jake's and Conor's teaching and feel greatly blessed to be growing in their church. The reason, namely the truth being proclaimed is Jesus and him crucified, Holy God and his eternal glory. No matter what the topic is, eventually it's all about God. That leaves me with no "but" and "if". John Piper quoted Abraham Kuyper,

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”

We started this new topic on Wednesdays - about men and women, God's design of them and their roles in church and family. And coincidentally (or not coincidentally) just before we started it at church i started exploring this topic myself reading and listening to what DG has to offer. And every time, by any sermon or article i am amazed how supreme God is in everything. He's not only above all, he is in all. There is nothing that he gave us merely for ourselves: creation, beauty, music, food, people, friendship, family, manhood and womanhood, marriage or singleness, sex or chastity, fatherhood and motherhood or childlessness, you name it - God is supreme in any of those, no thing on this earth which wouldn't point at him, no situation and circumstances through which he would not be glorified. I cannot find proper words to even start expressing how big it is.

What inspired me today is this paragraph from the sermon "Single in Christ: A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters":

Take heed here lest you minimize what I am saying and do not hear how radical it really is. I am not sentimentalizing singleness to make the unmarried feel good. I am declaring the temporary and secondary nature of marriage and family over against the eternal and primary nature of the church. Marriage and family are temporary for this age; the church is forever. I am declaring the radical biblical truth that being in a human family is no sign of eternal blessing, but being in God’s family means being eternally blessed. Relationships based on family are temporary. Relationships based on union with Christ are eternal. Marriage is a temporary institution, but what it stands for lasts forever.

That is truly radical. God is rad! What we may have in this life is but a glimpse, a foretaste, a peep in the keyhole at what awaits us in eternity. Can't grasp it? Me neither. It's not like what we have here is not important. But whatever we are granted in our lives and find worth desiring, cherishing - purify it in your mind so that no shadow of imperfection would be left, multiply it by billions, and you'll get yet a little sip of what heaven with Jesus will be. It's all about him. Through him and for him.

God help our lives be radical.