Glorious Ruin

Thing about it - Sweatshop Union

This is a time of growth for those that know,
And it's a time of hope for those that don't,
But if your mind is open you'll get shown,

We've had our sights blinded, all of my like-minded,
People need to get up and discover the right time is,
Now, so start opposing the powers that arose,
In ancient days and paved the way to this load,
It's so controlled, it's sitting in most, just sit and stare,
At a television with a distant glare,
And I'm ashamed to admit it, I'm a slave to this shit,
As much as anybody but I'm not afraid of it,
This is where the change comes, and this is where we make some difference,
Embrace what's within us and escape from this prison,
All it takes is a little bit of faith,
And a little bit of love, to get rid of all the hate,

Chorus:
But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it,
We can't just sit around and wait until they thin us out,
We figure out where we're going while we live in doubt,
If you want my truth, listen now and just think about it,
The thing about it is we can't even think about it,
Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change,
So, take a second, and shake your head,
And take a step ahead and think about it,

Now the ball is in our court, while we sit and watch passively,
The face of the earth changes drastically, after we,
Clear space at this rate for strip malls and factories,
We risk take a crew fate at a pace beyond gradually,
No more crops for us to harvest and feed,
Self-sufficiency replaced by clone-copy written seeds,
Now ask yourself, how can we be free,
When the water that we drink is owned by some company,

I hear the weep up the streets, and cries up in the skies,
The weakness is disguised with deceitful lies,
Well we all eat to survive, and sleep through our lives,
Repeat in for high, all shit and no pride,
Never speak of our lie, let the fear fortify,
My insides are dying, trying to fit in the design,
I'm reminded daily, of a world gone crazy,
Guns mean safety for orphan babies,
Ignore the distortion you're forced to perceive and believe,
What supercedes is love, but who agrees?

But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it,
We can't just sit around and wait until they thin us out,
We figure out where we're going while we live in doubt,
If you want my truth, listen now and just think about it,
The thing about it is we can't even think about it,
Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change,
So, take a second, and shake your head,
And take a step ahead and think about it,

Could you survive in the wild, with a wife and a child,
A whole human history, a line a type and a file,
So live your life in denial, or try to live on your own,
Without your colour TV, heat, fridge or the phone,
Well the average guy lives an elaborate lie,
Waste days on slave wage beneath the passionate eye,
Now we ovulate, copulate and over-populate,
Never stop to think about the things that we were taught to hate,
Now the stage is set, watch the players place their bets,
Take a sec, shake your head, feel alive, make you sweat,
Realize that the system can't exist without belief,
Appreciate your true potential, untwist your mouth and speak,
We're working on building a world our children can live in,
Understand, I can't be free, while you're still in this prison,
And I could spend my days preaching, so on and so forth,
But it won't change, until we don't want to go on, no more,

But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it,
We can't just sit around and wait until they thin us out,
We figure out where we're going while we live in doubt,
If you want my truth, listen now and just think about it,
The thing about it is we can't even think about it,
Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change,
So, take a second, and shake your head,
And take a step ahead and think about it,

But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it,
We can't just sit around and wait until they thin us out,
We figure out where we're going while we live in doubt,
If you want my truth, listen now and just think about it,
The thing about it is we can't even think about it,
Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change,
So, take a second, and shake your head,
And take a step ahead and think about it,

This is a time of growth for those that know,
And it's a time of hope for those that don't,
But if your mind is open you'll get shown.

Ghandi quote

"The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice."

A lot of wisdom in that quote!

Eye of the Tiger

Risin' up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive

So many times, it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive

Chorus:
It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger

Face to face, out in the heat
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
They stack the odds 'til we take to the street
For we kill with the skill to survive

chorus

Risin' up, straight to the top
Have the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive

chorus

The eye of the tiger (repeats out)...

The Name of the Lord is to be Praised

No longer in chains,
I have found my freedom in you.
No more am I bound,
You’ve taken my sin and my sorrow away.

I will walk with my head lifted up
The old is gone and the new has come

[chorus]
And the Name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Name of the Lord is to be praised.

Alone and afraid,
I was lost, in need of your amazing grace.
You came into my life,
You poured out your unfailing love and your truth.

By your grace I stand justified,
Because of you, have eternal life.

[chorus]

 
And you will be praised.
And you will be praised.

We give you our praise,
For your amazing love.
We give you our praise,
For your grace and mercy.
We give you our praise,
For the freedom you have given.
We give you our praise,
My healer, my saviour.

[chorus]

 

A video for you all.

I'd like to take the chance to share with you a video I just found on Bebo (linked to Youtube) that is of one of my cousin's giving her testimony. I was completely oblivious of the journey that she has taken over the years and it almost brought me to tears to hear where she's at now. What she's got to say is so very very true that I thought I would share it with you all.

See the video - here.

"We Need to Talk About Kevin"

I have just finished listening to the BBC Dramatised story "We need to talk about Kevin", and it is a fantastic story. I'm not saying that the subject is fantastic, more the thought processes behind the writing.

The basic story is this. A mother is writing letters to her husband, recounting the events that lead up to her son going on a killing spree, desperately trying to figure out if it was her fault.

The first thing that hit me about this story is the mother instinct aspect. Ever since he was born, she was unable to connect with her son and throughout his childhood the mother HATED the son. He had ruined her marriage, ruined her career, ruined everything that she held dear. And as much as she tried to connect with him, her son hated her too. He would go out of his way to be malicious against her. Purposely destroying things that she held dear, knowing the pain he would cause.

And yet her husband was completely oblivious to everything. He thought his wife was being stupid. In his eyes his son was perfect. A sweet little boy. Hence the ruined marriage. His son could do no wrong, and his wife was always falsely accusing him of all sorts of horrible things.

For me the thought that I might too have a child that I cannot connect to is terrifying. To be honest something I've never considered before. I always assumed that it would all just clicked. I like a story to take me on an emotional journey. To make me ask myself, what would I do in that situation? And to be honest, I have no idea. The thought of that feeling of isolation from your husband, the very one you'd expect to stand by you during such a difficult time. Yes, this story affected me deeply.

However the second thing about the story that hit home was the ending. I will try not to spoil it on the off chance that someone else might want to read it. But I was astounded at the reactions of the two parents to what their son ended up doing. The father who thought his son could do no wrong was at first disbelieving, and then disappointed. His whole world must have crumbled in that moment. He did not know his son. And to discover that the lovely little boy he bestowed his love onto suddenly became a monster overnight, or at least it would have seemed like it to him, must have destroyed him.

On the other hand. The mother who always thought the worst of her son, who knew what a little shit he could be, she was not surprised, or disappointed. She knew her son for who he was. And when it was all said and done, she was the one to visit her son every week in prison, and ultimately stood by him and accepted him for who and what he was. He was her son.

And the third thing to strike me about this story, is the insight it gave the listener/reader into the mind of a killer (fictional it maybe, but intriguing none the less). The way that he viewed his parents. The way that he viewed other people. The subconscious reasoning behind his actions, reasons he was unaware of but his mother managed to partially unravel. There are the little insights into the few occasions when son and mother did unite, for brief moments, which are surprising to say the least. And then there is his moments of vulnerability, when the killer façade is dropped, and you see that he is just a child in need of comfort.

All in all a very well thought out story. Very well written. As I said before, I like books that make you think, that pull you in deeper than just a passing glance. And not having much time to read right now I was so grateful to the BBC to give us such a fantastic story on the radio. Well chosen.

The Engineer's Way

It is better to be approximately right than precisely wrong.

The Altar And The Door

I was searching for a song that I heard years ago about how in ourselves we're nothing, but we have the awesome God of the universe living in us which enables us to do anything. I can still remember how blown away I was when I heard that song. Just the concept that all of God's awesome power is within me, just waiting to be unleashed. Pretty mind blowing stuff. And in light of my last post I figure it's something I need to learn how to tap into more, so to speak.

Anyhow, during my search, I never did find that song, but I found the following song instead. I love Casting Crowns, they have some good lyrics, and I'm just gonna have to get the album that this song is on!

Careless, I am reckless
I'm a wrong-way-travelin'-slowly-unraveling shell of a man
Burnt out, I'm so numb now
That the fire's just an ember way down in the corner of my cold, cold heart

Lord, this time I'll make it right, here at the altar I lay my life
Your kingdom come but my will was done, my heart is broken as I...

Cry, like so many times before
But my eyes are dry before I leave the floor, oh Lord
I try but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I will not lose my follow through
Between the altar and the door

Here at the altar, oh my world so black and white
How could I ever falter
What You've shown me to be right

I'm trying so hard to stop trying so hard
Just let You be who You are
Lord, who You are in me
Jesus, I'm trying so hard to stop trying so hard
Just let You be who You are
Lord, who You are in me

Colours of the Wind

I love this song as it sums up some of my thoughts about people. It's from the film Pocahaontas, a film I've not seen since I was a kid, and yet the lyrics popped into my head the other day.

You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see
If the savage one is me
Now can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know ...

You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colours of the wind

You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colours of the wind

The End Has Come

Seriously, it has - Click Here