crept up, unsuspecting fledgling of a thought

could it be that everything already exists?

meticulously crafted melodies

borrowing intervals and deceptive cadences

see, because brahms already came up with that one.

 

let’s take all we want, every note and rest

feast on the reinvention of rhythms

gorge ourselves on measures played backwards

and maybe we’ll find the truth

the truth? all we can do is borrow and steal.

i listen to music on my ipod while i walk to work every day.  today i listened to mos def, and i was struck by a set of lyrics that speaks about the hip hop movement.  we like to discuss the salvation army as a movement, where we've come from and where we're going, and we like to criticize a lot that happens.  we worry about "the future of the army" and talk a lot of smack.  in the middle of all these discussions it can be easy to forget that if this movement has been called and established by God, then we only see a limited picture of how it is working to further God's kingdom here on earth.

God uses us to accomplish his purposes - so check yourself.  are you where you're supposed to be?  doing what you're supposed to be doing? reading the word? living in true community with other believers? yeah, easier said than done.

you know what's gonna happen with the army?  whatever's happening with us.  if we smoked out, the army is gonna be smoked out.  if we doin alright, the army is gonna be doin alright.  next time you ask yourself where the army is going, ask yourself, "where am i going? how am i doing?"  and give God the glory.

here are the lyrics to the song "fear not of men" by mos def:

Listen.. people be askin me all the time,
"Yo Mos, what's gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?"
"Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?"
I tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever's happening with us"
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin in the hillside
comin down to visit the townspeople
We ARE Hip-Hop
Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin

So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?
Til you get a clear idea
So.. if Hip-Hop is about the people
and Hip-Hop won't get better until the people get better
then how do people get better?

Well, from my understanding people get better
when they start to understand that they are valuable
And they not valuable because they got a whole lot of money
or cause somebody think they sexy
but they valuable cause they been created by God
And God makes you valuable


Mos Def - Fear Not Of Men

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
-C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

this quote is on the inside of an ep i purchased at cornerstone festival a few years back.  i remember that show; i remember the trombones and the flugel.  i remember the words, what's there left to do?

all the secrets of fitness: all the fitness He requires, is to feel your need for Him.

today i made myself some dinner then puked it up.  it was nasty and felt like food poisoning.  then, after i puked i felt a lot better, so i decided to ride my bicycle.  it got really hot in omaha today so it was perfect by the time the sun was setting.

some things were weighing on my mind, so it felt good to not think and just ride, with no real destination other than east.  i rode on leavenworth, which is full of old buildings and apartments and is just kind of shady.  in chicago i used to ride on the street, so i do that here, except cars are definitely not used to seeing cyclists.  there are practically no bike lanes, so i take up a full lane.  thankfully, there are usually multiple lanes, so cars don't go whizzing by in a death match.  most times.

i rode to the pedestrian bridge and crossed over to iowa.  omahans like to call it the bridge to nowhere, but really, it's to iowa.  i checked on my geocache, which was full of crap no one really wants.  on my way to the woods i met two deer.  i tried getting a picture but they ran away.

by this time i was feeling a little nauseous again, but there was no use in stopping since i had to get home eventually.  i really took my time on the way back, enjoying the view of the skyline, the sound of an owl, a stray cat, people walking the streets.  you can learn a lot about your neighborhood on a bike ride.  it seems that midtown had a growth spurt in the 60s or 70s, because a lot of buildings just have that feel to them.  even the businesses seem to be stuck in that era.

i got home and puked some more.

the still must tease with the promise of a story the viewer of it itches to be told. 
- cindy sherman