I want to go one direction, and another, I am aimless and my thoughts go every-which way. But I mustn’t go any further until I take a bit of time to reflect on John 9. We just spent 3 weeks in this passage in church. And I don’t really know if I have any miracles that I need, certainly not any physical ones except for losing some weight, hardly a miracle need. The only area I’ve considered miracle needing has been the hurt and confusion of an extremely important relationship, one that leaves me walking around wounded because it’s that broken. For a while it was better, but we’ve had a few steps back instead of forward. A constant prayer.
Anyways, the thing I’ve been thinking and wondering most about is what I am blinded to – what is my blindness? Pastor Matt said it this way: where do I lack vision?
I have only thought of this a couple times here and there, and I haven’t found my answer yet, but I was just listening to Bethany Dillon’s latest album, Stop & Listen and as I was listening to the new songs I had to stop and look up the lyrics to this song, Get up and Walk so I could read them while I listened to it over and over again. I literally was about to do something else, read a book and do the study and was just struck by this song, and how appropriate the timing is after studying John 9. It helps give a bit more perspective and depth in thinking about this.
Get Up & Walk by Bethany Dillon:
I have got no one to blame
Except if that someone’s me
I washed my hands, but just the same
My eyes confess for me
I come in filthy rags
You know I’m guiltyI wake up almost every night
Saying Your name
What I would give to walk in the light
But what I hide has made me lame
My face down on the ground
I wait to hear the healing soundChorus:
You break through my deafness
Swing open the curtain
And I find the courage to get up and walk
I forget my weakness
For You’ve answered my loneliness
And through the mud on my eyes
I can see my Hope has comeYou’ll have to show me where to go
It’s been so long since I’ve used my feet
I got up today a cripple
And now I’m dancing
So let the power of Your move
Not stop with what I can seeI couldn’t walk
I couldn’t sing
I couldn’t love until You found me
Bethany’s FB page has this little bit about the song:
“Get Up and Walk,” a song inspired by stories of healing throughout the New Testament, is a powerful reminder that God still restores the broken: “The promises in the Bible that grip me the most are the ones of contrast,” Bethany explains, “turning ashes into beauty, heaviness into a garment of praise, being transferred from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of light. The words of Jesus ring true today, that he (or she) who’s forgiven much, loves much…. I’ve been forgiven of much; I was deaf, blind, and completely lost. But He broke through my deafness, and has forgiven me of much, and I can’t help but love Him much in return.”
Back to my original thought: what’s my blindness, where do I lack vision?
some of my notes from the sermon:
We all lack vision:
-to see what’s important
-to see within;
we assume we can see, unaware we are blind
if you are blind, at least you know you need to be led. we need to see ourselves, to really reflect on who we are – Examen.
where do you lack vision?
-consider perspective.
-see through the eyes of Christ.
created on purpose, for a purpose
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
The Word is TRUTH.
If anything, this is one of the biggest things I find I neglect, but my neglect is not helping. My vision, and lack of vision of self/denying self. As I am thinking about that I look at this verse:
Bethany’s 2nd verse is this:
I wake up almost every night
Saying Your name
What I would give to walk in the light
But what I hide has made me lame
My face down on the ground
I wait to hear the healing sound
and this is what stands out: “what I hide has made me lame.” what I cannot see are the things I need to see. She continues in the 3rd verse: “you’ll have to show me where to go, it’s been so long since I’ve used my feet” {side note: musically it’s great too, the musicality and rhythm are together with the lyrics – the music is moving, the rhythm, is going somewhere, ready to get up and walk.}
So, no conclusions yet, but I am thinking about these questions and praying that my eyes would be opened to where I lack vision.
When I first heard Misty Edward’s song, Dove’s Eyes, I loved it right away, but I was curious what characteristic it was about doves that made them different from other birds. A google search led me to this and I absolutely love the description! Here is the article/link.
I loved it so much I wanted to share some of my favorite thoughts, quoted from this article:
When a dove fixes its gaze upon its mate, it is not distracted by any activities around it.
Our having this “dove’s eye” indicates that we are becoming increasingly aware of the Lord’s person and presence, and that we possess a spiritual awareness that will lift us above the pulls of the earthly. This “single eye” will enable us to become sensitive to the Lord’s presence, and obedient to His desire and purpose.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8
This intense desire that she expresses is singularly toward her Lord, and she seeks to gaze upon Him alone. She can no longer be satisfied with a knowledge of things about the Lord. The ministries, abilities, or personalities of His servants are no longer enough, for now she must personally know the Lord, Himself.
An intense reduction of all her ambitions, desires, and dreams has brought her to this place. Now that her vision has become single, the Lord is ready to lead her on.
“Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away” Song of Solomon 2:10
“…only that which is of God has any lasting value.”
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:1 & 4
Here are all the lyrics below, the part that stands out most to me is the last line, undistracted devotion. I wish to have that kind of vision, to seek first the Kingdom. (Matthew 6:33)
DOVE’S EYES LYRICS:
I don’t want to talk about You like You’re not in the room
I want to look right at You I want to sing right to YouI believe that You are listening
I believe that You move at the sound of my voiceGive me dove’s eyes
Give me undistracted devotion for only You
(taken from an essay I wrote my senior year, in 2005)
With a focus on Child Labor from the Family Perspective,
specifically in Southeast Asia
Global criminal economy includes drug trafficking, weapons and nuclear trafficking, trafficking human organs, smuggling of illegal immigrants, money laundering, trafficking women and children, prostitution, slavery, child adoption, and various ethnic mafias. According to Manuel Castells, “In the past two decades, criminal organizations have increasingly set up their operations transnationally, taking advantage of economic globalization and new communication and transportation technologies” (Castells 1998, 168). The economic bottom line in all of these criminal activities is as simple as the fact that “demand drives supply” (Castells, 174). Globalization has definitely contributed and certainly fueled the success and growth of crime because it has increased the flexibility, resourcefulness and adaptability of the various criminal organizations, mafias and such. Castells explains that “It is this combination of flexible networking between local turfs, rooted in tradition and identity, in a favorable institutional environment, and the global reach provided by strategic alliances, that explains the organizational strength of global crime” (Castells, 180).
There is a great deal of greed and desperation that leads individuals to become involved in this criminal economy and it is fueled by globalization. Militarization after the Second World War and the Vietnam War and Korean War appears to have contributed to the demand for so called hospitality services. The famous rest and relaxation (R&R) that G.I.’s go on as a break is part of what has created the demand resulting in a need for enormous numbers of supply: women who are often enslaved into prostitution. Tourism is also a contributor to the demand for prostitution. Countries where women are affected the most include Nepal, Thailand, and the Netherlands. Thailand not only receives women and girls from other locations such as Burma, but also sends women to other locations around the world. Women are promised legitimate work and then upon arriving at their destination are stripped of their passport or other documents and their rights. These women are then forced to work long hours without breaks or days off (Blitt 1995, Video).
Child labor, prostitution, sweatshops, and a new form slavery are all results of poverty and desperation. The fact is that the poor are vulnerable and those in the criminal business know who to target. “The important thing to remember [about slavery] is that people are enslaved by violence and held against their wills for exploitation (Bales 1999, 20). They are exploited because their hard work lowers costs for manufacturing and these so called savings eventually reach our stores. It is most likely that slave-produced goods and goods assembled from slave-made components have the effect of increasing profits rather than just lowering consumer prices, as they are mixed into the flow of other products. I have a newfound awareness that the things I purchase can affect the demand for supply creating a continuum that cannot end. I hope to continue learning what steps or what actions to take to help stop the suffering. One of the most important things we can do is to educate our friends and family about poverty and exploitation of labor. “The only proven cure for over population is to eliminate extremes of poverty. The best contraceptives in the world–education and social protection against poverty in old age and illness are also the best guard against enslavement” (Bales, 234). A long-term solution to poverty will be discussed later.
Child labor occurs when a family needs an additional income source. This short-term need is highlighted by the fact that the family is extremely poor. Sometimes children will be sent away from the family to live elsewhere to earn an income and this can lead to slavery. They are forced to work long hours without breaks and little food in uncomfortable situations and working environments. Agriculture is an enormous income source for the majority of third world countries. Children working in agriculture may spend the entire day in the heat doing backbreaking work. They get hardly any rest or sleep before they have to start all over again. There are certain hazards that exist in agriculture and the younger the child is the more likely they will be hurt or injured.
***
A Fine Line: Child Labor and Little Helpers
There can be a fine line between forced, exploited labor and children helping their parents. I am not denying the existence of harmful and cruel child labor. I merely wish to point out the family’s perspective. Some of the work hazards are simply rural hazards that they have to be wary of. I cannot count how many machete injuries we heard about. Ten-year olds will use the machete and cut open a coconut and whack their thumb. In rural villages a significant amount of the primary income comes from agriculture, as it is in many other countries. The primary sources of income are in various crops appropriate to the area and climate. Some crops such as rice, corn, fruits, vegetables, and spices are grown by individual families not as a cash crop but simply as a source of food. Families will also share with other families. Agriculture is physically demanding and there are physical dangers to the work. A lot of the cash crops such as dried coconut, are sold by weight. Machetes are a hazard for children and adults alike. I knew many people who had near misses or digits missing because of a machete accident. Any injury is prone to infection, which is also a serious problem in the tropics and rural village areas.
There are many factors to consider why the family needs the children to work. The size and the needs of the family as well as the level of income are also important. A poor family with many children will have a very hard time paying for the all of the children to attend school. Public school costs include: uniforms, books, shoes, tuition, and fees.
Parents should maintain the authority to make decisions that are best for their family. I would like to take a different perspective and look at it from the family’s point of view, rather than the outsider. In this instance globalization has not had a large influence on whether children work or go to school. Their rural social system has been in place for many generations, and globalization has not affected it since the last time I was in a specific area in Southeast Asia. One advantage has been the addition of new schools and the addition of higher levels of education, including high schools that are located closer to the villages, allowing more children to complete their education. One of the only affects of globalization is that of entertainment by way of television. Bhagwati clearly states “…economic argumentation and the empirical evidence do not lend support to the feared adverse link between child labor and globalization in the shape of trade” (Bhagwati, 71).
***
Firsthand Experience*
I lived in two different villages from the age of 5 to the age of 10, and again when I was 15, on an island in the Pacific. All of my native friends had chores that they needed to do around the house and for their parents, just as I did. Some of the tasks included sweeping, doing the dishes, getting water from the well, helping with a meal and helping the parents in their garden or field. Occasionally our neighbor’s parents left their home; the mother going to their garden in the jungle and the father simply gone. As a result the oldest child would have to stay home from school and take care of her younger brother or sister. This was a familiar occurrence and it was simply practical. In our area it was not common for children to attend junior high or high school; most only completing their elementary education thru sixth grade, in part because there was no higher education located nearby. A handful did attend junior high and even fewer attended high school but both had to make the long 15-kilometer journey everyday, or leave home and move into town with a relative.
We had two maids at a time when we lived in a town which was about a three hour drive south from the village, and this allowed one of the girls to go to school in the morning and the other to go to school in the afternoon and early evening. We paid for their schooling and uniforms plus additional salary and room and board and they worked as our house helpers or maids. Part of their salary may have gone to their families back in the village. I can think of four reasons for having these two girls work for us were: mom needed help around the house so she could home-school me, take care of my baby sister and help my dad with their translation work, and so we could help further the education of those who might otherwise not have to opportunity to do so. Most of the other families and some expatriate families in our region did likewise. We had helpers from the age of 5 ‘til I was 10 years old and I looked up to them as my big sisters, and they were between 15 and 17 years old. After they completed High School we would hire two new girls.
It should be determined if their labor is preventing them from attending school or the ability to do their best when they are in school. My understanding of the children who I knew that were working were simply children who were helping their parents and doing basic household chores, and most of the time it did not affect their education.*I cannot describe where I lived. It is intentionally vague for safety reasons.
***
Long-Term Solutions?
I have been struggling and wrestling with whether the long term benefits outweigh the costs of meeting the short term needs of the families. If the family has no food to eat they will need as many sources of income as they can, and if the children starve the long-term benefits are irrelevant because the basic short term needs have not been met. Without assistance, the family cannot afford to live without their child’s income. This endless cycle requires a solution that helps with short term needs and long term needs.
“Educated children are more productive later in life” (Madslien 2004). This statement can be backed up by this estimate that: “…For every year of school a child has up to the age of 14 produces and additional 11% benefit of annual future earnings” (ILO estimates). In order for this to happen governments need to work with parents and help make going to school a little easier, by compensating them. Countries such as India, Brazil and Mexico are operating government compensation programs that encourage children to go to school rather than work by providing compensation to replace the income that each child had been earning. Three things should be considered in providing compensation, “Average value of the child’s work, the number of children per household, [and] the degree of household poverty” (Madslien). These three factors should assist the government in providing decent compensation for poor families, who otherwise would not be able to send their children to school because of their short-term needs. The desire of this type of government program is the hope that in about 15 years there would be significant income brought in by the then adults who are today’s children. The estimated figures provided show that “African countries would gain around $5 for every $1 invested, while Asian countries would get back more than $7 for every $1″ (Madslien). This potential economic growth could help individual families as well as their respective countries.
Broken: Now What?
My heart breaks as I read each story and become aware of the pain and suffering that exists around the world. I know that God’s heart breaks even more for every single child. What action can I take to help get rid of slavery, and child labor? My worldview has shifted in the last four years as I have sought to claim my own views and ideas not just those of my parents. These past four months have provided a heavy concentration of some views and ideas than ever before. My next question then is what do I do with this new worldview? Where do I find the answers? James provides a great answer. “Faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17, NIV). This idea that faith without works is dead has always made sense to me. It expresses what Jesus lived out in his activities while on earth. His compassion was for the poor and those who were lesser and weaker. While not a prerequisite for salvation, if we are to live as Christ-followers how can we live and not help those with their practical needs?
Our faith should prompt us to do things and be aware of the social issues around us and around our globe. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.” This is a powerful statement that expresses one of the problems with the religion aspect of Christianity. One of the problems with the mindsets of a large number of Christians today is their belief that once they have their ticket to heaven, their journey is done; they simply rejoice for their decision and pray for others. On the contrary, once you make your decision to live for Christ you should be prepared for a lifelong adventure not only in this life but also beyond (Campolo & McLaren 2003, 19-29).
Part of the adventure should include an awareness of social issues and the poor. And more than just awareness we should be open to be challenged and willing to do something about it; to take action in Jesus’ name.
Works Referenced:
Bales, Kevin. 1999. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Blitt, Chela. 1995. Sisters and Daughters Betrayed. Produced and directed by Chela Blitt.
20 min. University of California. Berkeley: CA. Videocassette. Viewed March 29, 2005.
Campolo, Tony, and Brian D. McLaren. 2003. Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel. El Cajon, CA: Youth Specialties; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Castells, Manuel. 1998, 2000. End of the Millenium. The Perverse Connection: The Global Criminal Economy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers.
Madslien, Jorn. February 4, 2004. ILO: Child Labour Prevents Development. BBC News Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3451117.stm/
I was hungry,
and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.I was imprisoned,
and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release.I was naked,
and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.I was sick,
and you knelt and thanked God for your health.I was homeless,
and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.I was lonely,
and you left me alone to pray for me.You seem so holy, so close to God
but I am still very hungry-and lonely-and cold.
-written by a homeless woman and taken from John Stott’s book “Human Rights & Human Wrongs: Major issues for a new century.” Part of my research for my Senior Seminar paper.
I follow a few tweeps/friends/orgs etc. who are very compassionate souls. I wish I could be half as compassionate as some of them.
I believe that human trafficking is a problem.
I don’t know what to do about it.
I believe that there are needs: hunger, poverty, disease etc.
I don’t know what to do about it.
I almost feel like I’m afraid to put myself out there as any sort of advocate for organizations. I’m not totally sure how to put this into words exactly…
I used to care. I read and wrote a lot of stuff my senior year at APU. I don’t know what happened.
this is not the end.
I trust Compassion. If you want to give to the recent Haiti Earthquake: you can go here to a direct link on their Compassion.com website: https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/haitiearthquake.htm?referer=105120SocialSponsorshipBlitz
Life is like sewing: in the process of making something beautiful we make mistakes and it takes time to undo them but eventually we get back on track and have a beautiful work of art to show for it at the end. There would be much less mistakes if we followed directions and our tools were always in good condition and used regularly.
Faith takes courage and obedience.
Abide. Seek. Obey.
“take all of my life, all of my life, and make something beautiful, so all may see your work in me, as you make something beautiful.” (Laura Story)
I read this book by Gary Thomas a couple years ago and have thought of it many times since then. Here is a brief summary of each of the Sacred Pathway’s mentioned and explained in the book:
Summary of the Nine Sacred Pathways
A friend found this link to take the assessment online:
Here are the brief summaries of each ‘pathway’ if you are interested in the book, I would be happy to lend it to you :] heres the link to it in Google Books
- Intellectual – Loving God with the Mind:
These Christians live in the world of concepts. They may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about Him. - Contemplative – Loving God through Adoration:
These Christians seek to love God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable. They want nothing more than some privacy and quiet to gaze upon the face of their heavenly Lover and give all of themselves to God. - Enthusiast – Loving God with Mystery & Celebration:
Excitement and mystery in worship is the spiritual lifeblood of enthusiasts. They are inspired by joyful celebration; cheerleaders for God and the Christian life. They don’t want to just know concepts, but to experience them, to feel them, and to be moved by them. They like to let go and experience God on the precipice of excitement and awe. - Caregiver – Loving God by Loving Others:
Caregivers serve God by serving others. They often claim to see Christ in the poor and needy, and their faith is built up by interacting with other people. Caring for others recharges a caregiver’s batteries. - Activist – Loving God Through Confrontation:
These Christians define worship as standing against evil and calling sinners to repentance. They are energized more by interaction with others, even in conflict, than by being alone or in small groups. Activists are spiritually nourished through the battle. - Ascetic – Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity:
Ascetics want nothing more than to be left alone in prayer. Let there be nothing to distract them–no pictures, no loud music–and leave them alone to pray in silence and simplicity. - Traditionalist – Loving God Through Ritual and Symbol:
Traditionalists are fed by what are often termed the historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice. They tend to have a disciplined life of faith and have a need for ritual and structure. - Sensate – Loving God with the Senses:
Sensate Christians want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God. They are drawn particularly to the liturgical, the majestic, the grand. They want to be filled with sights, sounds, and smells that overwhelm them. The five senses are God’s most effective inroad to their hearts. - Naturalist – Loving God Out of Doors:
The naturalist seeks to leave the formal architecture and the padded pews to enter an entirely new “cathedral”, a place that God himself has built: the out-of-doors.
My Sacred Pathways are:
1. Enthusiast
2. Contemplative
3. Sensate
4. Intellectual
1. Enthusiast - Loving God with Mystery & Celebration:
Excitement and mystery in worship is the spiritual lifeblood of enthusiasts. They are inspired by joyful celebration; cheerleaders for God and the Christian life. They don’t want to just know concepts, but to experience them, to feel them, and to be moved by them. They like to let go and experience God on the precipice of excitement and awe.
2. Contemplative - Loving God through Adoration:
These Christians seek to love God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable. They want nothing more than some privacy and quiet to gaze upon the face of their heavenly Lover and give all of themselves to God.
3. Sensate - Loving God with the Senses:
Sensate Christians want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God. They are drawn particularly to the liturgical, the majestic, the grand. They want to be filled with sights, sounds, and smells that overwhelm them. The five senses are God’s most effective inroad to their hearts.
4. Intellectual - Loving God with the Mind:
These Christians live in the world of concepts. They may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about Him.
I think this portrays who I am, and why I am the way I am, very well. I hope this helps you to understand me, and also to check out the assessment (and the book) for yourself to identify your sacred pathways, the ways you connect with God.
LOVE WAS HERE FIRST by Carolyn Arends. Fresh, jive, and colorful are some of the words to describe the musical feast of this new creation which includes mandolin, violin, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and upright bass. Nothing about this album is dull, or typical. The incredible thing about the songwriting of this album is the amount of truth that is communicated refreshingly without using the usual Christian cliche’s or Christianese, of which I use my fair share of. (Sorry, I’m working on it 
I have enjoyed this album very much and have decided that I am going to walk you through some of the songs to hopefully give you a sample taste like those little spoons you get when sampling flavors of ice cream or gelato.
1. Be Still - There are several other songs I could name with this same idea that tend to be very legato, smooth and quiet, tender, hushed and quiet. I like those songs. But I also like this song, with a refreshing take on a familiar, yet difficult to apply concept. It’s almost as if the music is a tad rebellious to the idea of being still, but this toe-tappin’ tune is convincing. It lures you in, and catches you, holding you in long enough to be still, even if just for a moment while your toes are dancing. Features Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone and Trombone, which combine to make a really fun song.
My favorite part:
Oh how I need a vacation,
‘Cause it’s so exhausting pretending
I’m God
There would be much less frustration
If I would let you do your job
2. Standing in the Need of Prayer – I love this arrangement of Standing in the Need of Prayer with the mandolin and violin, the moving melody, her soft, tender vocals, and the harmonies, which are joined by the Sojourners. The instruments, melody, and lyrics work together with sincerity, a song of humility, acknowledging our need for prayer, for God to intervene.
3. My Favourite Lie – This is one of those songs that strikes a chord, the lie that we’d rather not have to die but we’d like the resurrection, without the dying. We’re afraid of dying. We wish we can just skip that part. But we know that we’re asked to sacrifice like Abraham, surrender our very life, take up our cross, and follow Christ. I love the piano intro, which is followed with guitar to get things going. (lyrics for this song can be found here) I can relate to this part much more than I wish I did:
I am a girl who is sore afraid
That the life I’ve made’s no life at all
Can you find a pulse
In this concrete heart
Could the end be a start after all
I LOVE the Violin on this piece towards the end and then repeats as the outro, actually it could be a combination of electric guitars and violin, it just sounds really wonderful to my ears.
4. Something Out of Us
Upright Bass, Bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle, trumpet, tenor & baritone saxophone, trombone and the Sojourners are featured in this song. I have no idea what a bouzouki is…(apparently it’s a stringed instrument, according to wikipedia…) but it is a fun assortment of instruments and with a fun swinging beat, sounds like quite a party!
Here’s my favorite line:
But you’ve always made disciples
Out of prodigals and worse
Just by giving us your Spirit
You make us into your church.
5. I am a Soul – (Free Song Download…see bottom of blog post)
I so appreciate the honesty and sincerity in Carolyn’s writing, admitting to have questions, as seen in this song.
lyrics can be found here – I love this:
I have a body, but I am a soul
I see a fraction, it’s not the whole
I cannot prove it, but still I know
I have a body… I am a soul.
The verses are incredibly woven together:
A sculpture or a canvas can speak a private language telling secrets hidden in the heart.
Such poetic beauty, and incredibly crafted lyrics.
6. Willing - About halfway through an album is when I stop listening and thinking and it just becomes background music, that is until I pulled out the lyrics and really listened and I realized just how worshipful this song is. It really sounds like a song of surrender, a prayer. Beautiful. I just adore the tender, delicate sounds of the mandolin and the guitar strumming and dancing together in the background. (I posted the lyrics here, on Monday night)
I think I’m running out of spoons…here’s a little whiff of the last few songs:
7. Roll It - The piano is featured in this piece along with the acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin, upright bass and the Sojourners singing. It’s an upbeat tune with a strong jazzy feel.
8. The Last Word (Love Was Here First) - The album title is taken from this song. It’s a great story-telling of the gospel.
9. According to Plan - this song and it’s lyrics can be found here:
10. Nothing Can Separate - I love this song. The chorus is taken from such a great passage in scripture and she has put a refreshing spin on it. I like the way she pronounces Separate…:] instruments: Upright Bass, bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle, and guitar.
11. Never say goodbye -I like the the tinny music box-like sounds of the toy piano and the hopefulness, the heavenward melody that carries it, and a beautiful harmony featuring Steve Bell. It’s fast becoming my number one favorite.
I must confess one small problem…I can’t pick favorites, I like so many of the songs, each one for different reasons…Never Say Goodbye, Nothing Can Separate, Be Still, Standing in the Need of Prayer, Willing, and I am a Soul being the ones that stand out to me the most. (Seee?? I can’t pick!)
She is able to cleverly weave several different musical textures together folk, rock, jazz, and blues in this colorful new album. I like the way she has a beginning, middle, and end to her thoughts, lines and phrases – a master story teller thru song. She takes a metaphor and plays with it more than once. In Be Still I noticed this when she sings ‘Oh how I need a vacation….and concludes the thought with…if I would just let you do your job’. I like that :]
It’s a great album, a welcome refreshing yet full of depth and oh how I love it so!! Get your copy/digital or otherwise right here: the links you need: Store: Feed the Lake.com & Carolyn’s Website:
A short list of…things to accomplish in the long and short term. Mostly short term goals (one month)
JANUARY 2010
- Renew my Passport
- Get my website (dot com) up and running (almost done!)
- Finish 15 songs in January, reevaluate at the end of January to see if I can do more or reduce the number for February.
- Finish Quilt. (final stages)
- Keep my room neat and clean to keep the creativity levels high and not distracted by the clutter!
- Invite friends over and make dinner. (Jan-Feb)
- Finish moving over blog posts from old blog that need to be here.
2010 – Year Long
- Keep my room neat and clean to keep the creativity levels high and not distracted by the clutter!
- Stick with Bible Reading Plan (I will be trying the Blended Plan found here:) There are like 20 different plans, short and long term plans, and different one year plans. I liked this one because it doesn’t just have you starting and reading Genesis and Matthew at the same time.) I will see how this goes, I’m not totally sure about it, but I will try it. I also like that I can refer to the plan on my phone with the Bible app, which gives me a better chance.
- Cook more often and eat more vegetables!
- …More to add as I finish reflecting and reviewing and contemplating it all, some things are scattered in different journal entries that I need to compile and bring together…
