Music I Like: Matt Nathanson and Justin Nozuka

This post is inspired by my "After Tonight" Pandora radio station. I was listening while studying for the GRE and the following came on which totally made my day (and sing-along time :D):

After Tonight - Justin Nozuka

Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson

30 Day Challenge: Day 8 (What You Ate Today)

Breakfast: Mango Peach Applesauce
Lunch: Town House Crackers
Dinner: Turkey Meatloaf Cupcake, Steamed Broccoli, Blackeyed Peas

Dessert: I'm considering making a smoothie to end my day...Let's see what I decide to do after washing the dishes.

Quotation that Caught My Eye

My Grandma gave me a "new" book to read last week and when I came across this passage, I wanted to make sure I recorded it somewhere. This will likely end up in a notebook but I wanted to post it online as well...

"Experience has taught me that effective learning takes place when, from books, observation, and the informed opinions of others brought out by a serious discussion of the issues, one is able to strengthen one's opinions, to fortify one's reason against prejudice, superstition, and error, to sharpen one's sensibilities, to enlarge and deepen one's understanding of the world and of life, and above all, to keeps one's mind ever open to the acceptance of new truths and the discarding of old and useless ones." 

Mark Mathabane "Kaffir Boy in America"

30 Day Challenge: Day 7 (Five Pet Peeves)

1) Dishonesty
2) Spitefulness
3) Selfishness
4) Braggards
5) Cruelty

30 Day Challenge: Day 6 (Your Thoughts On Mainstream Music)

This is easy. I have a love-hate relationship with mainstream music. Sometimes I dig it and others I want to set the radio on fire. For example, I will find nearly anything Britney Spears related decent or even good at some point but I swear on a stack of multigrain cheerios boxes if Rick Ross cuts another song or is on another hook, I may scream and throw grapes at children. This applies to Christian and secular music. I appreciate someone like an Israel Houghton but want to destroy 98% of Mary Mary's albums.

I like music with meaning and *gasp* melody which means I sometimes need to go outside of the scope of what's popular to find something I like. Well that or listen to old school...

30 Day Challenge: Day 5 (Things You Want To Say To An Ex)

This should be short as I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. I love my ex's and am friends with the two who really count so there hasn't been a lot left unsaid...good, bad or indifferent. This is the outcome of laying the groundwork of good communication and openness in friendship. Years after I met these men, we can still talk about anything.

30 Day Challenge: Day 4 (Bullet Your Day)

33I started this last night but my computer conked out on me so I'm re-doing this, though you wouldn't have known that if I didn't tell you. Newho, this was my day:

• Mumbled something to Crystal when she left for her interview
• Woke up to Spongebob on the telly
• Foraged for food on the first floor
• Watched random TV and read 
• Considered washing my car
• Watched "The Prince and Me 2"
• Dug out some clothes to wash my car in
• Searched the garage for a bucket
• Tinkered with the hose, then got Daddy to make it work
• Washed my car
• Read some more of my book
• Took a shower
• Watched Dormtainment skits with Crystal (HA! Got her in the Jerz two days in a row lol)
• Went to Rita's for Italian Ice
• Joked with staff at Rita's about last night's incident, taste tested nearly everything and got a free coupon
• Ate Swedish Fish Ice with vanilla custard
• Ate dinner while watching All Worked Up with the family
• Retired to the second floor
• Gave Braveheart a bath
• Laughed at people on OkCupid with Crys
• Watched Family Guy
• Ate Chocolate Cake
• Talked online and tried to write this blog
• Went to sleep when internet acted up

FIN

Music I Like: Passion and Melvin Gutierrez

I love music and appreciate Youtube as it allows me to listen to people who are honestly talented but may not have commercial success. I want to share a few songs by a couple of dude's from the Left Coast. I stumbled upon Passion in college and found his buddy Melvin when I heard their duet version of Cater 2 U by Destiny's Child. Check out that cover and a couple of other songs below:

Cater 2 U (cover) - Passion and Melvin Guiterrez

I Don't Care - Passion

Lullaby (cover) - Melvin Gutierrez

Check out their Youtube pages for more:
Passion
Melvin Gutierrez

30 Day Challenge: Day 3 (A Book You Love)

I will do you one better...I'll give you TWO books I love.

FICTION: Zora & Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney

This novel speaks to me in a number of different ways. The title characters are two sides of the same coin; both are struggling with faith and the burden of being adult PKs (aka Preacher's Kids). Their desire to shed pretension and posturing in coming before God lead them to a community of believers where they find one another. I dig it because its real in a lot of different ways. You can feel the struggle of being who your family and church community want/expect you to be contend with who you desire to be before God and humanity. Themes include interracial relationship and its ugly cousin bigotry, sexuality, community building and getting stripped before God. I'm currently rereading this gem and appreciate it now as much as when I purchased it.





NONFICTION: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

I don't know if any book I have ever read has made me feel as broken or as inspired as Half the Sky. A dear friend recommended this read one night while we sat awake speaking of her grad school thesis, honor killings  and my interest in the Peace Corps (all three had a Jordanian focus). This book was part of her required reading and she felt led to get me a copy. She spoke so highly of the text that I beat her to the punch and brought it myself. I swear I spent my time alternating between crying and praying as I read. Kristoff and WuDunn have produced a work that dually lit a match under my bum and reminded me of my privilege. The text shows how education and empowerment can be used to overcome the reality that trafficking, forced sexual labor, gender based violence and other atrocities create. 

This book is particularly meaningful to me as it helped me refocus on what I want to do with my time and giftings.

30 Day Challenge: Day 2 (Something You Feel Strongly About)

I feel strongly about a lot of things but couldn't focus on what I should take the time to concentrate my writing on for the day. I just finished my scripture reading for today and a passage I read roused an issue I've been battling with more recently. I'll share the text and then share this rumination...

Romans 9:30-33 (NLT)

³⁰ What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. ³¹ But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. ³² Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. ³³ God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

   “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble,
      a rock that makes them fall.
   But anyone who trusts in him
      will never be disgraced.” 

^{In reading the passage above, I was reminded of the Church -- what it's called to be and what it is. I thought to myself 'has the Church (or parts of it) become like the depiction of Israel?'. Not in the sense that we are trying to keep God's law and are failing but rather we are subjecting ourselves to a system of rules of our own making which have become a law of sorts and have become a people devoid of faith.} 

^{What is faith? In looking up definitions, the following stood out to me:}

• strong or unshakeable belief in something
• trust in God and in his actions and promises
• complete confidence or trust in a person 

(via World English Dictionary)

Another definition mentioned allegiance and loyalty. I hear people talking about allegiance to their local church or denomination but less so about this incredible belief in a Messiah that is so far reaching that they desire to spend their time on this side of eternity working to see the Kingdom He spoke of established here on earth. Like with Israel, God's glory has been revealed to us but I think that we need to be reminded of the fullness of relationship with Him and what that looks like. 

I suppose I feel so strongly about this because I think that operating as a body divorced from faith serves as a stumbling bock in people desiring to know the Christ we profess. If we slap folks in the face with a list of do's and don'ts and throw a heaping of fire and brimstone on that, why should anyone care to want to claim the same God as us? 

I wonder what would happen if the Love of God was imparted more than condemnation, if the grace that saves us was articulated and shared. 

What would happen if we truly exercised our faith?

30 Day Challenge: Day 1 (Five Ways to Win Your Heart)

This sounds like it should be easy to write on but I've had to wrack my brain a bit. Here goes...

Number 1: Be in Relationship with God
It'd be easy, cliche and a tad bit dishonest if I just said "be a Christian". Forgive my frankness but I don't care for everyone who calls themselves a Christian. To let you get the fullness of what I mean, let's journey to Matthew 7. In verse 20 Jesus states "...just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Individuals who are in true, full relationship with God are beautiful, fruitful servants of the people around them. I'm blessed to have a number of people like this in my life and I love them dearly. You see the work of the Holy Spirit in and about them and this is honestly one of the characteristics in folks that touches me.


Number 2: Be Honest
You may not always like what an honest person has to say but you will respect it. I'm pretty big on respect (if I can't respect you, I won't deal with you) and this as well as the implied notion of integrity are foundations to that. This is not to be mistaken with cruelly throwing around what you deem factual. I think honesty laced with discernment goes a long way...

Number 3: Be Creative
I LOVE people who are creatively inclined, regardless of their medium. My closest friends are musicians, painters, actors, thinkers, poets, etc. I'm so drawn to people who desire to use their giftings to make something beautiful whether it be a poem or an etching or some musing on (insert whatever here). 

Number 4: Be Genuine 
I suppose this goes with numero dos but for the love of cheerios please 'keep it real'. Life is far too short to work to keep up appearances so you might as well drop the mask and be who you are. Its easier and people will appreciate you for it.

Number 5: Be Fun
If you know me, you know I'm random, silly with a touch of the crazy (the fun, lovable kind). That said, I love people who can make me laugh, smile and appreciate life. I don't like stodgy, uptight folk because they're boring to me. Fun varies so this could take on the form of anything from hanging in a bookstore to randomly bursting into song or talking about dinosaur gang affiliations. As long as it isn't reckless, chances are I'm in : )...

The 30 Day Challenge

It's been over a year and a half since my first (and last...well only) post and I find myself desiring to share the things happening in my head via blogging. Maybe its the whole being without a job thing again, perhaps its something else. Despite the reasoning, I'm going to earnestly try and do this whole blog thing. Because consistently writing anything has always been challenging to me, I decided to embark on one of those 30 Day Blog challenges. If nothing else, I should be able to pump out at least 30 posts which will hopefully inspire me to keep up the habit of writing.