I wanted to encourage everyone to stop by overflowmag.com and read some some of the open letters to President Litfin. People have written in response to a email Litfin sent out to alumni asking for prayer for the coming soulforce event.
Please read and post your own thoughts!
http://overflowmag.com/81
Click to read.
It takes you 1 second to get drinking water.
He has to walk 20 KM
Water is a Human Right.
Help us provide access to drinking water.
Again, a rather un-profound post.
It looks to be another busy week ahead, so I want to prepare you for the disappointment and heartache you might feel from not hearing more from me as far as thoughtful commentary on life goes.
Here’s some of the short, but hopefully interesting post you can be expecting this week:
That’s about all from these parts.
(You know when you write “excuses” three times it starts to look funny)
I write to give you three very good excuses as to why you have been left bored this week with mostly postings of research info and not much of my own personal thoughts this week.
I hope you can understand. I’ll post some more this week if there is time. I might just start posting some old writings I’ve dug up recently. We’ll see.
Congratulations to José O. Vilanova!
José was the first (and thus far only) caller to the Trying to Follow hotline. He’s won a free t-shirt from http://iamnotashamed.net which he’ll be able to sport shortly.
I’d love to hear from more subscribers and readers if you feel like calling in with a comment or just to say hello.
Leave your message at: (775) 370-6924
Or just post some cool comments below!
I’m going to blog about the recent TV series “Black. White.”
It was on FX recently and I saw the show and wanted to encourage others to see it when they get a chance. For now I don’t have time to write much but thought you’d enjoy the intro music video by Ice Cube.
Did you get your race card?
I didn’t get my race card
Did you get your race card?
Hell no, I didn’t get my race card!
Did you get your race card?
Homeboy, where’d you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
White boy, what is a race card?
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Black as midnight, or bright as Snow White
You’d better do me right, or I’ma have to take flight
Put you on ice, blast on you twice
If you’re a zebra, better come out them stripes
Just because I’m dressed like I’m straight out of jail
Make more money then them white boys at Yale
And got more sense than your fucking President
That college graduate? He can’t pay his rent
But don’t call me brother, man
Unless your ass got my money in your other hand
Pull that black man shit, that white man shit
But see a suit and tie, and I’ll still get your ass euthanized
Cuz I never got my race card in the mail
Is that the reason why my life still hard as Hell?
I’ve been to jail, just like Martha Stewart
And we both told the judge that we didn’t do it
Did you get your race card?
Hell, no, I didn’t get my race card!
Did you get your race card?
Everybody, show me your race card!
Did you get your race card?
Yo, what the hell is race card?
Did you get your race card?
Can anybody tell me what is a race card?
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Please don’t believe the hype
Everything in the world ain’t black and white
Everybody ain’t a stereotype
Just because I look wrong, I’m about to do right
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Did you get your race card?
Get the GED FACTS
GED Background
Source: American Council on Education web site
If there is any major encouragement for staying in school it is because it pays off in the end. Here’s a chart from the Department of Labor Statistics.
When you start crunching those numbers you find some pretty impacting things.
Just graduating high school increases your pay over $8000 a year. Sticking it out through an associates degree is another $6000+ a year.
The unemployment rate decreases by a large amount just by completing high school. These are some powerful changes.
So this is my rant about music at church (aka “Worship Music”):
Why don’t we do what the song says? You go into most churches today and they are singing the cool and popular worship songs. And you and everyone around you is belting out the words to the song. “I’m falling on my knees…” and as they sing the words, what happens? Well most of the churches I’ve been to everyone stays standing or sitting or whatever they where doing. It would seem to me that if I were to walk up to you and say “I’m falling on my knees” and didn’t actually do it, you might be suspect of the next few things I said (and if you know the words of the song you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about).
I just don’t understand how we can all be okay with singing these songs that have us voicing actions we are taking.
But when the world has seen the light, They will dance with joy, Like we’re dancing now
And we stand around looking like a bunch of dorks.
I lift my hands up…
I bow down…
There’s a long list and I won’t go into them now, but it’s always been a point of struggle for me.
An then there is the other side of it. Even though I’m the one that has a problem with this and it bothers me and all, I very rarely actually follow through myself. Mostly I think I worry about getting looked at with all sorts of judgements, “look at him trying to act better then everyone; more religious; pious.” So I often opt for not singing that particular song, or line in the song, or halfway, top secretly raising my hand or bending my knees, etc. And this needs to be changed also.
In high school with my youth group I would point it out; these days I don’t. That’s the tough part, how do we encourage change in this? Should the folks playing the insturments up front be in charge of encouraging people to “do” what they “say”? They are the “leaders” after all.
I just picture someone visiting most churches today and hearing them sing “I could sing of your love forever” and hearing these words
But when the world has seen the light, They will dance with joy, Like we’re dancing now
And walking out the door to search for joy elsewhere.