Showing posts with label Jay-Z. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

There's Music in the Bible

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about music. This follows this post about the wars of the veterans of the U.S. This follows this post about Communism and Christianity. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

There's Music in the Bible

by Ken Treybig Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Did you realize the Bible is loaded with music? From the angels being created with musical abilities and singing at the creation of the earth (see Ezekiel 28:13-14; Job 38:7) to the song of the Lamb of God (Revelation 15:3), the Bible is chock-full of music and musical references from cover to cover.
Early in human history, Jubal in Genesis 4:21 is described as the father of those playing the harp and flute. Many years later, in Genesis 31:27, when Laban spoke with his son-in-law Jacob, he said Jacob should not have left secretly but should have allowed Laban to send him away with a musical celebration. He specifically mentions songs along with two musical instruments—the timbrel and harp. Obviously, in the ancient Middle East music was a part of celebrations. That is also true in many cultures today.
Further study of the Bible reveals that music was used as an emotional expression of appreciation and thanks to God. When an unusual or significant event occurred, it was quite common for people to compose and sing songs praising and thanking God for His blessing.
An example of this is found in Exodus 15. After leaving Egypt as the direct result of God having sent plagues on the Egyptians, ancient Israel found itself in the frightening position of being trapped by mountains on both sides of them, the Red Sea in front of them and the army of Egypt closing in behind them. God then miraculously parted the Red Sea and dried the sea bottom, allowing Israel to walk to the other side.
When the Egyptians went down into the sea in pursuit, God allowed the walls of water to slam back together, drowning the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:9-12, 21-23, 28-30).

Moses and the Israelites sing

Exodus 15 records the song Moses and the Israelites sang praising God's merciful deliverance (verses 1-18). Then Miriam, Moses' sister, and the women also played, sang and danced in jubilation—apparently singing a companion song that complemented the words of Moses' song (verses 20-21).
A few centuries later, after the Israelites settled in the land God promised them, King David appointed a group of 4,000 men from the 38,000 of the tribe of Levi (so just over 10 percent of the Levites) to serve in the temple as full-time professional musicians (1 Chronicles 6:31-33 and 23:3-6). Their job included singing songs of praise to God in formal worship services.
The whole book of Psalms (the longest book in the Bible) seems to be a kind of national hymnal, with many psalms bearing David's name as the composer.
Music was highly regarded in the Old Testament. Besides poetry, it is the main art form that seems to have been cultivated to any extent in ancient Israel. Perhaps it is because the second of the Ten Commandments prohibits making any likeness or graven image as a religious object. The other nations of the ancient world were steeped in the use of ornate paintings, carvings and sculptures in the worship of their gods. God's people were to avoid those and therefore focused on the powerful emotional impact of words—written, spoken and sung.

Jesus and His disciples sing

The New Testament continues this rich heritage. After inaugurating the symbols of the New Testament Passover on the night before His betrayal and crucifixion, Jesus and the disciples sang a hymn at the conclusion of the Passover service (Matthew 26:30).
The apostle Paul later wrote to the Christians at Colosse that the teachings of Christ should be deeply treasured as they taught and counseled each other in word and song. He spoke of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16)—all of which indicate the use of music in joyous worship of God.
Completing the New Testament, the book of Revelation describes numerous scenes that include the use of songs in worship and praise of God in heaven. This includes the singing of a new song by the 144,000 who are redeemed from the earth to the accompaniment of harps (Revelation 14:1-3).
Clearly God gives His approval of music as an appropriate means of expression—whether in everyday life or in worship of Him. However, like many other aspects of human existence, music can be misused. Be sure to read the other articles in this issue for some helpful insights on the right and wrong use of this powerful art form. VT

music The Bible Background of the Bible

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Wednesday, November 9, 2016

The preferred candidate of jihadists loses the US presidential election

A timely post about from www.jihadwatch.org about Hillary Clinton's loss. This follows this post about contributions to the Clintons. This follows this article about American energy independence and preventing money from going to hostile countries. For more, you can read two very interesting books HERE.You can follow me here.

The preferred candidate of jihadists loses the US presidential election

By Christine Williams 117 Comments

Prior to Election Day, imams were out telling Muslims to vote, even launching a special campaign:

October 7 is My Muslim Vote National Khutba Day a day meant to encourage American Muslims to get to the polls this November. During this week’s services, spiritual leaders will be ascending minbars, or pulpits, to preach a khutba, or sermon, that focuses on the importance of voting in this election.
The #MyMuslimVote campaign is led by the activist group MPower Change and the national Muslim Students Association.

A CAIR survey predicted that 75% of Muslims will vote for Clinton. It is well known that:

CAIR has been declared a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and was named by federal prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas-funding operation.

The Muslim Students Association – a leader in the “MyMuslimVote” campaign — also has Muslim Brotherhood links.
Most telling about Hillary Clinton was that she “raked in” over $41,000 “from prominent Islamists” in donations, which included “$19,249 from senior officials of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.”
An Aljazeera report stated that Muslims, “blacks, South Asians, Middle Easterners and converts…form a Democrat-leaning mass, according to CAIR’s survey.” That same report painted Trump as racist and Hillary as the preferred candidate, citing the CAIR survey. Meanwhile, Pakistani American Muslims were reportedly busy making a “final push” for Hillary Clinton:

The US Council of Muslim Organisations, an umbrella group of two dozen Muslim advocacy organisations announced this week that over one million American Muslims have registered to vote in the November 8 US elections.

Despite the old us-versus-them rhetoric of Islamic supremacists, CAIR, and the Left, who are all too eager to scream “Islamophobia” and claim that Trump is the preferred candidate of the whites-only club, a Fox News report pointed out a historic shift in party alignment:

First, for the first time since anyone can remember, Republicans have broken the communications monopoly Democrats have enjoyed among African-Americans.Trump is persistently reaching out to them; visiting their churches and neighborhoods, making a commitment to rebuild America’s cities, economy and jobs.

A report from last March, summing up the CAIR view of the election: “CAIR Super Tuesday Poll Shows Muslim Voters Support Hillary Clinton, Concerned About Islamophobia”, CAIR, March 10, 2016:

Survey shows that more older Muslim voters back Clinton, while younger Muslims support Bernie Sanders
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/2/16) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released the results of a six-state “Super Tuesday” poll of almost 2000 Muslim voters indicating that almost half of those voters (46 percent) support Hillary Clinton, followed by Bernie Sanders at 25 percent and 11 percent support for Donald Trump.
CAIR’s poll also showed that growing Islamophobia is the top issue for Muslim voters.
“American Muslim voters are worried about the unprecedented anti-Muslim rhetoric being used by presidential candidates and are going to the polls in increasing numbers at both the state and national levels to make their voices heard by the candidates,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
An exit poll of Muslim voters in Texas and Virginia indicated that Sanders narrowed Clinton’s lead in those states – 34 to 40 percent in Virginia and 29 to 37 percent in Texas.
In upcoming primary elections in California, Illinois, New York, and Florida Clinton’s lead over Sanders ranged from 22 percent (California) to 40 percent (New York).
The survey indicated that older Muslim voters – 65 percent of those 45 to 64 and 80 percent of those 65 and older – backed Clinton, while younger Muslim voters (18 to 24) supported Sanders (78 percent). In the 25 to 44 age group, support for Clinton and Sanders was more evenly distributed at 44 percent for Sanders and 56 percent for Clinton.
CAIR noted that Muslim support for Sanders may actually be higher because its poll surveyed more voters over the age of 45.
Nationwide, Islamophobia continued to rank as the most important issue of concern for all Muslim voters (24 percent), a partisan divide was evident with Muslim Democrats ranking Islamophobia highest (27 percent) and then the economy (19 percent), while Muslim Republicans ranked the economy (38 percent) highest followed by Islamophobia (14 percent).
Support for the Democratic and Republican Parties mostly remained constant from previous surveys with 67 percent of Muslim voters supporting the Democratic Party and 18 percent supporting the Republican Party. CAIR’s February 1 poll of Muslim voters showed 67 and 15 percent respectively voiced support for the Democratic and Republican Parties…….

Monday, August 29, 2016

Allegations of Housing Discrimination against Donald Trump

A timely post from http://www.vdare.com about the allegations about Donald Trump doing housing discrimination. This follows this post about the false charge of racism towards immigration enforcement. This follows this post about rap songs referencing Donald Trump.
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Who Were the Racist Tenants Who Insisted Fred Trump Not Rent to Blacks in Coney Island and Brighton Beach?

Steve Sailer

As part of the big push behind Hillary’s Alt-Right speech, the NYT is rolling out breaking news articles about how nearly a half century ago Trump’s dad, with the young Donald’s assistance, tried to prevent white flight from his apartment complexes in places like Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills. As Hillary said on Thursday:

When he was getting his start in business, he was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to black and Latino tenants. Their applications would be marked with a ‘C’ – ‘C’ for ‘colored’ – and then rejected. Three years later, the Justice Department took Trump back to court because he hadn’t changed.

This subject has been gone over repeatedly over the years, but one little explored question about this old story however is: Who exactly were these white racist tenants who were renting in Trump properties in Coney, Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills but who would have white-flighted out to Long Island if too many blacks had flooded in to the Trump buildings? The young Jared Taylor? The unborn Richard Spencer? Haven Monahan’s grandpa?
To help the NYT in its investigations into the festering heart of the roots of racism in Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Forest Hills, I’ve found this home movie of David Duke’s upbringing under the Coney Island roller coaster:
Seriously, I explained the answer in passing in Taki’s Magazine a year ago in answer to a Washington Post article taking the opposite tack from the latest round of attacks. Last year’s article denounced Donald for not being like his dad Fred who built for the white middle class. I responded:

The evolution of the Trump brand name in housing over the past two generations strikingly illuminates how race has played a role in American life becoming so much more biased in favor of billionaires.

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A recent Washington Post article is headlined “How Donald Trump abandoned his father’s middle-class housing empire for luxury building.” The Post celebrates Fred C. Trump (1905–99) as one of the biggest builders of affordable apartments in the outer boroughs.
But it forgets to mention that Frederick Christ Trump would have been one of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ demons, since he typically built with the help of the Veterans Administration and other government agencies in redlined neighborhoods, such as the 3,800-unit Trump Village in heavily Jewish Coney Island. (Fred sometimes asserted his parents were from Sweden to sidestep his tenants’ prejudices against German-Americans.)
Fred Trump’s company was rewarded for all its contributions to middle-class America by being sued by the Nixon administration in 1973 for violating the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Only 4 percent of its tenants—in places like Forest Hills in Queens and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn—were black. The young Donald fired back, hiring Roy Cohn and arguing that allowing welfare recipients to rent in his father’s complexes would risk “massive fleeing from the city of not only our tenants, but communities as a whole.” Eventually, Donald signed one of those consent decrees with the feds, not admitting to doing anything but promising never to do it again.
Perhaps that episode played a role in the son’s determination to get out of his father’s business of building affordable housing in the outer boroughs, with its constant danger that antidiscrimination laws would trigger white flight to the suburbs among their largely middle-class Jewish customers, and instead follow the new generation of nouveaux riches New Yorkers to Manhattan. In 1983 Donald proved that New York’s 1970s economic malaise was definitely over by opening on Fifth Avenue the gaudy Trump Tower, which has since been home to numerous celebrities such as Jay Z and Beyoncé.As the saying goes, “Our prices discriminate, so we don’t have to.”

[Comment at Unz.com]

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

How can I control my anger when I get frustrated and stressed by my kids?

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about parenting. This follows this post bout Mexico. This follows this post about Scotland. his follows this post about the Feast of Trumpets. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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How can I control my anger when I get frustrated and stressed by my kids?

Few relationships can produce more challenges and frustrations than the parent-child relationship. What can we do when love and anger collide in the family? Here are some parenting tips.

Answer: Even the most loving parents will experience anger every now and then toward their children. However, uncontrolled anger can affect your ability to make good decisions as well as maintain a positive relationship with your son or daughter.
Allowing yourself to "blow up" at your child can be very harmful if it occurs repeatedly. In your anger, you may say things that frighten your child or affect his or her self-esteem, or you could even physically harm him or her. Uncontrolled anger also provides an inappropriate role model for your child by teaching him or her that anger outbursts are acceptable.
It can be difficult to control yourself when you become angry. However, the Bible tells us that a wise person maintains self-control. Proverbs:29:11 states, "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." Also, Ecclesiastes:7:9 says, "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools."
What can we do when we get mad at our kids? Below are several parenting tips that will assist us in managing our anger.

Pause for a moment.

When you feel yourself becoming angry, it is wise to pause before you say or do anything. This pause could consist of merely taking a deep breath or slowly counting to 10. Pausing can help you to address the situation calmly instead of in a fit of anger.
During this pause quickly think about the circumstances and try to determine what is really happening. Is your anger a reaction to your child's behavior? Or is something else bothering you such as work stress, tiredness or other problems? Has your son or daughter intentionally tried to hurt or disobey you, or is his or her behavior typical for a child of that age? Is this your problem, your child's problem or both?

Take a parental or child time-out.

In situations where you are very angry, realize that it will take some time to cool off. Time-outs model an appropriate way to handle anger. It can be good for your child to see you get angry and demonstrate a socially acceptable way to deal with these feelings.
You may even tell your child that "Mother is angry and needs a time-out." Don't tell your child that you are angry because he or she is stupid or bad, for such labeling is not healthy for your child's self-esteem. Your time-out could even involve stress-reducing activities such as walking, punching a pillow in private, taking a bath or talking to your spouse or a friend about the situation.
Instead of a parental time-out, you may also opt for a time-out for your child as part of his or her punishment. While your son or daughter is sitting in the corner, you will also have time to cool off and decide the best course of action.

Resolve to never strike your child in anger.

Never discipline your kids when you are angry and unable to control your feelings. While spanking in an appropriate manner is supported in Scripture, it is unwise to spank your child while you are angry. You could accidentally bruise him or her by spanking too hard. This could lead to your child being taken from your home by social services.
If at any time you feel the urge to strike your child, get out of the room as soon as possible. If your child is too young to leave alone for a few minutes, be sure to put him or her in the crib or a playpen or have someone else watch your child. Older children should just be told that you are angry and need a time-out. Stay away until you have calmed down. Pray for God to help you to control your anger and respond in a godly manner.

Form plans for how you will react.

Determine how you want to respond to your child or the problem. Your plan should take into account what you want him or her to learn from this, as well as how to prevent this misbehavior from happening again.
If your child has been told that he or she would be punished for this misbehavior, it is important that you follow through with your word. Children need to learn that there are consequences to their actions. If you have not set formal rules for this misbehavior, plan how you will do it now. Put together a list of family rules, and state the consequences for not following the rules. You may want to consult various parenting books for ideas about methods of discipline that may prove to be effective for your child.

Act and don't react to the situation.

After you have cooled off, analyzed the situation and determined the best plan of action, it is time to act. Your actions must be calm and loving. If you punish your child, be sure that you also explain exactly why he or she is receiving a punishment. As always, tell your child that the discipline is to help him or her and is a consequence of his or her misbehavior.
To raise an emotionally well-developed child, it is important to show unconditional love. For example, tell your son or daughter, "I still love you, even though I am now angry about your misbehavior." It is also important to hug your child and reassure him or her after you have punished him or her for misbehaving.
Anger is a God-given emotion. It can even be used to correct wrong or evil and set things right, as in the case where Christ was angry (Matthew:21:12-14). But God also tells us, "A quick-tempered man acts foolishly" (Proverbs:14:17).
The relationship that you have with your children can be one of life's greatest blessings. If you want to be wise in your responsibility of caring for them, learn to manage your anger. You both will be happier when you are in control of your emotions.
Linda LaBissoniere, M.Ed., licensed counselor

1 comments

Friday, October 11, 2013

Music Discussions Lost +

A timely post about from www.TheSource4yM.com about a popular current song. This follows this post about the group “Tigres Del Norte” that was in the D.C. mall amnesty rally. In the meantime, you can get more involved if you like here and read an interesting book HERE.

Music Discussions Lost +

09/20/2013

Main Point of Discussion: In this life, we should live for the approval of God, rather than for the approval from men.

The Song: Lost +

This duet features two titans of the music industry, Coldplay and Jay Z. Jay Z has sold 50 million records worldwide throughout his career and holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist. He’s been back on the airwaves recently with the new release of his album Magna Carta…Holy Grail. The title track and the album have both spent the last several weeks in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and the ITunes top downloads.

Coldplay may not have been as active within the past year or so, but they have still sold around 60 million records during their career and their 2012 Mylo Xyloto tour was the 4th highest-grossing tour that year. They are set to release a new album soon, as well as a song that will be a part of the sound track for the second Hunger Games movie. So although this song is a few years old (2009), it combines two artists who most students are probably familiar with.

Lost+ is a song that reflects on the fleeting nature and pitfalls of success as the world defines it. It shows the elusive nature of living for things like fame, fortune, or the approval of others. It comes from two artists who have seemingly achieved all those things, yet they say that once they arrive where they thought they wanted to be, “the shine wears off.” They encounter attacks and criticism from others, or someone “bigger” and better comes along.

There isn’t really much to the video, although it does provide something interesting to look at. It’s a flashy video of the duo performing the song in concert. Yet alongside the images of Chris Martin singing to thousands of adoring fans, are some surprising reflections about the trappings of fame and the criticism that success invites.

Introducing the Song:

Jay-Z has been everywhere recently, especially since he released his new album Magna Carta in July. He’s been on TV, in advertisements, on the radio, and at the top of the charts. The song is a duet featuring Jay-Z and another superstar music group, Coldplay. These two artists are two of the most successful artists of our time. Together they have sold well over 100 million records and made untold amounts of money. They are the definition of success in the way that the world defines it. In light of that though, I think this song has some interesting and surprising things to say about fame and success. Let’s watch together.

Important Note for Leaders: True to form, Jay-Z uses some profanity in his rap. He uses the word s**t and ni**a in the music video, which can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGl6KK90kbc.

Please use wise judgment in deciding whether you are comfortable showing the original to your youth or not. When I did this with our youth, I edited the two curse words out. If you would rather use the edited version, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/72363565

Edited from bmcvideoproductions on Vimeo.

Song Lyrics:

Just because I’m losing

Doesn’t mean I’m lost!

Doesn’t mean I’ll stop

Doesn’t mean I'm across

Just because I’m hurting

Doesn’t mean I’m hurt

Doesn’t mean I don’t get what I deserved

No better and no worse

I just got lost

Every river that I tried to cross

Every door I ever tried was locked

Oh and I’m just waiting ‘til the shine wears off

You might be a big fish

In a little pond

Doesn’t mean you’ve won

‘Cause a long may come

A bigger one

And you’ll be lost

Every river that you tried to cross

Every gun you ever held went off

Oh and I’m just waiting until the firing stopped

Oh and I’m just waiting ‘til the shine wears off

[Jay-Z]

Aha, I gotcha, uh...

With the same sword they knight you, they gon' good night you with

Sh*t, That's only half if they like you

That ain't even the half what they might do

Don't believe me, ask Michael

See Martin, see Malcolm

See Biggie, see Pac, see success and its outcome

See Jesus, see Judas

See Caesar, see Brutus, see success is like suicide

Suicide, it's a suicide

If you succeed, prepare to be crucified

Media meddles, ni**az sue you, you settle

Every step you take, they remind you you're ghetto

So it's tough being Bobby Brown

To be Bobby then, you have to be Bobby now

And the question is, "Is to have had and lost

Better than not having at all?"

Because I'm...

Oh and I’m, just waiting ‘til the shine wears off

Oh and I’m, just waiting ‘til the shine wears off

Transitional Statement:

From listening to this song, it sounds like being famous and popular may not be as great as it is made out to be. In fact, if you look at the lyrics handout you have in front of you, Jay-Z even likens success to suicide. Wow! That’s probably not what you and I would have called it. But we should probably listen to him; after all, he’s had plenty of success. He should know exactly how fleeting it is to try and stay at the top. Coldplay says it’s tough; a bigger fish is always bound to come along. So, let’s not adopt the mindset of the world when it comes to success. In this life, we should live for the approval of God, rather than for the approval from men. Let’s discuss this some more in our small groups.

Divide into Small Groups:

Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1.AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we dive in, tell everybody your name and a time that you were lost somewhere.

2.ASK A FEW: What were some phrases that stuck out to you from this song? What did they mean to you?

3.ASK A FEW: In particular, I found the lyrics to Jay Z’s rap to be very interesting. What do you think Jay Z was trying to say during his part?

4.ASK A FEW: Do you think this idea is true—that our society tries to tear down people who are successful? Why or why not?

5.ASK A FEW: Do you know someone who is really successful or good at what they do, for example, a doctor, a teacher, an athlete, an artist, a parent, etc.? If so, do you know if they are plagued with always trying to be better to please others?

6.ASK A FEW: Can you think of a time where you were criticized or made fun of for doing something well?

Read the following passage from the Bible:

1 Thessalonians 2:1-7

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.

NOTE: At this point, Paul had travelled to numerous cities, preaching the message of Christ and ministering to the Churches. Paul had certainly reached a lot of people for Christ and had seen a lot of success in ministry, but he had also faced a lot of opposition.

7.ASK A FEW: From reading this passage, what kinds of things did people accuse Paul of? (Leaders – He was accused of being deceitful, that his message “sprung from error,” that he was seeking praise from others, that he was using the church for his own greed, etc.)

8.ASK A FEW: How does Paul respond to these accusations? (HINT: Pay close attention to verses 4 and 6.)

9.ASK A FEW: Why does Paul say He seeks to please God rather than people?

10.ASK A FEW: What are some ways in which people seek the praise of others today?

11.ASK A FEW: What are some examples of ways we can please God?

12.AROUND THE CIRCLE: Do you think most of the decisions you make are for the approval of God or for the approval of other people? Why or why not?

13.ASK A FEW: How different would your life look if you cared more about what God thought of you than you did about what other people thought of you?

14.AROUND THE CIRCLE: How will you seek to please God more than people in the coming week?

Wrap Up:

The reality is that people can be really fickle sometimes. It’s very interesting that Jay Z, possibly one of the most popular musicians in all of history, is talking about how easily people turn against you and how you can be attacked for being successful.

Most of you probably have a few really good friends in your life who would stick by you no matter what, but there are many people who may claim to be our friends one day and then turn on us the next, and they may even tear us down for doing what’s right.

Many of you may be living for popularity above all else, you really want other people to like you at you your school. It may be that you want for a certain group to accept you, or maybe you long above all else for a certain person (maybe a particular boy or girl) to like you. It’s normal to want people to like you, so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if we start to live for the acceptance of others above the acceptance of God, it can lead us to make some really bad choices.

This song and the Bible passage we read warn us is that if we are living for things like popularity or others’ acceptance, it’s like chasing after the wind. Even if you are successful for a moment in gaining these things, some of these people may turn on you, betray you, or hurt you.

That’s why Chris Martin, the Coldplay singer, says he’s “just waiting for the shine to wear off.” He is someone who has achieved fame, riches, and popularity, but he knows that one day the allure will wear off. He knows that eventually, people may turn against him, or attack him, or they may just forget about him altogether.

We can spend our lives chasing things like popularity, success, or money, but if we live for anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ, eventually the shine will wear off. People will come and go in our lives but the one thing that remains—the one thing that is eternal—is your relationship with God.

This doesn’t mean that it is wrong to care about other people’s opinions or that we should have no regard for others. What it means though, is that you will face criticism in this life at some point. If you are going to face it, you should face it for doing good rather than for doing evil. It also means we should never compromise our values in order to please other people.

It means we should live our life with the goal of pleasing God, who judges men’s hearts, above all else. If you need help doing that, hang around after we pray and speak with one of our adult leaders. You’ll be glad you did.

Close in Prayer

Written by Brandon McCarroll

Monday, May 13, 2013

Wknd Box Office: The Great Gatsby, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Peeples, Upstream Color

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post about some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!

Wknd Box Office: The Great Gatsby, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Peeples, Upstream Color

By Debbie Schlussel

Nothing new that’s notable or good at theaters, this weekend.

* “The Great Gatsby“: Should have been called, “The Great Glitz-by,” or “The Jay-Z-izing of F. Scott Fitzgerald.” ‘Cuz that’s all it was, a bright, loud, horribly miscast, rushed-and-yet-long 2.5 hours pretending to be “The Great Gatsby,” the Fitzgerald novel about a mysterious millionaire trying to woo his married long lost love. And it was ridiculously drenched in cacophonous Jay-Z-infested synthesizer noise.

While the movie is better than I expected, that’s only because I set my expectations extremely low. It is pretty true to the book, even though reports said it was based on the darker first draft, “Trimalchio,” which Fitzgerald lightened at the request of his publisher. Still, the movie is filled with Jay-Z music, hip-hop, and rap. And the few musical notes that actually come from the era of the 1920s were pumped up on steroids, sped up and chock full of loud hip-hop beats. And the movie was way too bright, flashy, and glitzy from start to finish. It wasn’t eye candy. It was garish, distracting, and annoying. Oh, and I saw it in 3D. Why on earth does a novel about the wealthy old- and new-moneyed on East and West Egg (the fictionalized Long Island) in the 1920s need to be in 3D? I still don’t know.

I just didn’t see Leonardo DiCaprio as the mysterious stalker Jay Gatsby or Carey Mulligan (whose acting “talent” seems limited to pouts and tears) as Daisy Buchanan, the selfish, torn debutante who was his love five years earlier. Joel Edgerton as wealthy polo player Tom Buchanan was a better pick, but even he was far too cartoonish to be the guy I pictured as I read the book. The only one that I think fit the bill was Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway (Daisy’s distant cousin and Gatsby’s neighbor), but even he looks too young. Like DiCaprio, he is too boyish-looking and looks like he had his Bar Mitzvah yesterday.

The movie went way too fast at times and then way too slow. It was kind of exhausting, though the two-and-a-half hours dizzyed past me. Also an annoyance was the constant use of handwritten words on the screen as Nick Carraway uttered them. Why did we need that? The screen wasn’t busy enough? This movie is very high on style–in fact, it’s overloaded with it (the costumes and sets are fabulous but excessive)–but has little substance.

The best way to see “The Great Gatsby” is in your own mind as you are picturing the book while you read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s words. This movie proves yet again that attempts to best that by putting it on-screen generally fail.

I didn’t completely hate it, and it was mildly entertaining, so I give it . . .

HALF A REAGAN

* “The Reluctant Fundamentalist“: More like, “The Liberal, Muslim Fantasy of Why Muslims Are Right to Hate America.” I hate, hate, hated this movie. It’s typical anti-American crap based on the novel of the same name written by Muslim author Mohsin Hamid. Like the book, this is pan-Muslim propaganda. There is nothing “reluctant” about this movie, including and especially the anti-American orgy that populates it. I’ve seen other critics upset that this movie “doesn’t explain” the “subtle reasons” why the Muslim main character smiles and rejoices at the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. . . as if there is a justifiable reason for that, “subtle” or otherwise.

The main character in this movie, Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), has been given everything by America–an athletic scholarship to Princeton, a prized, high-paid position at a high-powered consulting firm in New York, and the personal tutelage of one of its principals (Kiefer Sutherland), who takes Khan under his wing and gives him a plum promotion. And, yet, he smiles at the attacks on the World Trade Center, a move that this horrible (and horribly slow and boring) flick’s point of view believes is justified.

Khan is shown unfairly harassed by police and strip-searched at the airport because he is Muslim and has been profiled. But, while we should have done that to Muslim aliens here (in Khan’s case, he is here for no legit reason–we have plenty of Americans suited for consulting jobs and on unemployment), that is exactly the opposite of what politically correct America did. We didn’t and still don’t profile Muslims.

Khan’s rich American photographer girlfriend (the always annoying Kate Hudson, who, herself, said she hates Americans) also ridicules him in her art exhibit which features his photo, recordings of him, and phrases in Arabic. Yeah, right. Like liberal American rich girl artists ridicule Muslims. Just the opposite, sadly. They readily lie down and spread eagle (and she did some of that, too, in this film). But in this movie, the Muslim main character is endlessly the victim of countless horrible acts by the evil Americans.

And after this, Khan is ordered by his “evil” Western boss (the one who hired him instead of Americans and promoted him ahead of Americans) to fire a Muslim publishing house exec. He refuses, quits his job, and moves back to Pakistan, where he leads student radicals and is suspected of helping kidnap an American professor.

Most of the movie consists of Khan telling an American journalist/CIA agent (Liev Schreiber) his story, while the agent wants to know where the professor is so he can be rescued. Schreiber accuses him of being part of the kidnapping. Of course, predictably, Khan is innocent, wrongfully accused. And, yet again, we Americans are the bad guys.

High quality Bin Laden cinema brought to you by Indian director Mira Nair, whose hubby is Muslim. Ms. Nair has made millions showing her films in America, and this is how she slaps us in the face in response. One other thing: the movie is financed and produced by the Doha Film Institute, funded and run by the same Qatar government that funds and runs Al-Jazeera, the Terrorist News Network. This is typical of the kind of propagandistic crap they put out.

FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR OBAMAS PLUS FOUR BIN LADENS

* “Peeples“: Prime Gitmo torture material. Absolutely awful. Extremely painful to sit through. Anything with two words attached to it–Tyler Perry–is absolute crap. And this is no exception. It’s “Exhibit A” of the rule. And it’s an example of the real racism that permeates Hollywood: that Hollywood execs believe Black America apparently isn’t worthy of anything better than this Black version of “Three’s Company” misunderstandings as plot points and groanworthy, unfunny jokes. And apparently Black America is self-hating and racist against itself, too, because the screening I attended for this horrid cinematic display was chock full of Black moviegoers who seemed to love this tripe.

Kerry Washington plays the girlfriend of a man (Wade Walker), who is not up to the standards of her wealthy, snooty family. He crashes her family weekend at a Hamptons beach house and learns the family is unaware he exists. But now that they know, they mostly don’t like him, as made known to him by his girlfriend’s judge father (David Alan Grier). Soon, the boyfriend begins to learn that most of the family is weird, living a lie, and really not better than he is. But to get there, the audience has to endure cheesy, unfunny jokes, bad dialogue, and other silliness.

A complete waste of time and ten dollars. Skip this.

FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR OBAMAS

* “Upstream Color“: WTF? I’m not sure what this was about. I spent ten dollars and over 1.5 hours to see this artsy-fartsy movie that has no story. Instead I sat there and watched scenes of a guy in a pig farm interspersed with scenes of a woman hypnotized to give her life savings to some guy and a woman (may be the same woman–don’t know, don’t care) and a man who are dating and then hiding from some invisible thing while sleeping in their bathtub. Oh, and the guy with the pig farm also records noises of rocks, insects, and streams. This is one of those horribly boring, David-Lynch-style, pretentious nonsense movies. When I asked others who saw it if they understood what was going on, they responded that it’s “art” and that “you’re not supposed to understand what’s going on. It’s designed to evoke emotion.” (How much you wanna bet these phonies and idiots, who pay ten dollars to see a nonsensical movie “to evoke emotion,” voted for Obama?)

Well, it evoked emotion all right: anger and frustration that I wasted money and time I’ll never get back. Thanks for nothing.

FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR OBAMAS

Friday, March 15, 2013

Cover Your Ears: Rampant Vulgarity Ruling the Charts

A very interesting book from www.thesource4ym.com about current music that is topping the charts. This follows this post about feminism that you can read on International Women's Day. In the meantime, you can read two very interesting books HERE.

Cover Your Ears: Rampant Vulgarity Ruling the Charts

An article from Jonathan McKee and David R. Smith at www.TheSource4YM.com

Over the years, song lyrics have often dipped into areas of controversy causing some to debate their appropriateness. But music is art… right?

Regardless where you land in that deliberation, this week’s top songs can’t help but make you wonder, “Do these artists kiss their mothers with those mouths?”

The Good, The Bad, and The Downright Disgusting

Foul language in mainstream music isn’t anything new; just ask those who remember the 2 Live Crew controversy. But a quick glance across this week’s top songs on iTunes and Billboard’s Hot 100 might lead some to think that the frequency of vulgarity has increased…along with its acceptance by our culture.

Of course, not everything in this week’s music has gone vulgar. Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble talks about the red flags she ignored in a relationship that recently ended, and she does so in a healthy way. Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man speaks (cleanly) about the regrets of lost love, a highly popular theme from 2012 that seems to be carrying over into this year. And since Harlem Shake, this week’s #1 song, only has 5 words in English, it’s fairly innocuous as well (even though it’s viral homemade videos might not always be so innocent).

But then there’s will.i.am’s collaboration with Britney Spears entitled Scream & Shout. In this dance hit, Britney repeatedly asks the DJ to “turn the sh*t up” and even refers to herself as a “b**ch.” If our kids happen to navigate to the extremely popular new music video remix of this song (still in the top 10 iTunes music videos as we write this), then they’ll encounter Diddy, Waka, and Lil Wayne joining in with too many vulgarities to list, including encouragement to smoke, drink, etc. (No need to go into too much detail, Jonathan unveiled more about that music video in his blog recently.) Suit and Tie, the offspring of a Justin Timberlake and Jay Z partnership, starts off with a repetition of “I be on my suit and tie sh*t, tie sh*t, tie, I be on my suit and tie sh*t, tie sh*t.”

Strange? Yes.

Unnecessary? Definitely.

But then we go shopping and it just gets worse….

THRIFT SHOP by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Wanz)

Thrift Shop, as the title implies, is a throwback to things of the past, from the gull-winged doors on the DeLorean…to the gaudy clothes from by-gone decades that the Seattle-based rapper picks up at his local secondhand store. This song, which has fallen from the top position to #2, has an almost comical sound to it, but many of its lyrics are anything but funny. See for yourself:

I'm gonna pop some tags

Only got twenty dollars in my pocket

I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up

This is f**king awesome

Nah, Walk up to the club like, "What up, I got a big c*ck!"

I'm so pumped about some sh*t from the thrift shop

Ice on the fringe, it's so damn frosty

That people like, "Damn! That's a cold a** honkey."

Rollin' in, hella deep, headin' to the mezzanine,

Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green

Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me

Probably shoulda washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets

(Piiisssssss)

Thrift Shop is the rappers’ way of explaining their rejection of hip hop’s glam lifestyle. In an interview with MTV, Macklemore said, “Rappers talk about, oh I buy this and I buy that, and I spend this much money and I make it rain, and this type of champagne and painting the club, and this is the kind of record that’s the exact opposite. It’s the polar opposite of it. It’s kind of standing for like let’s save some money, let’s keep some money away, let’s spend as little as possible and look as fresh as possible at the same time.”

As you can see, this song is sort of messy to evaluate. I (Jonathan), blogged about this little diddy when it first went no. 1. The theme is noble, but the lyricist is a foul mouth. I talked with some teenagers about this song recently and found it beneficial to be objective in my evaluation. Let’s be honest. Teenagers are probably a little tired of adults complaining about their music. So I started by just asking questions about the song, like, “How is it musically?”

They were quick to tell me, “It’s awesome. I love the beat.”

I replied honestly. “I agree. It’s catchy and it’s funny. I can see why it’s popular.”

Then I asked, “What do you think the theme of the song is?”

They thought for a moment and then verbalized what they thought Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were saying. “We don’t need fancy clothes to feel good about ourselves. Why not buy something more affordable?”

I agreed again. Then I asked, “Is this a good message?”

They looked at each other as if it was a trick question, but asserted, “Yeah… that’s a good message.”

I agreed once again. They seemed surprised that an adult actually saw reality about this song.

“Now,” I continued. “Tell me how this guy decides to deliver this message.” And that opened the door to talk a little bit about his language and foul references. This kind of talk, while common in this world, probably isn’t the best way for a believer to communicate.

In the end, we had a healthy conversation where I challenged them to evaluate and think Biblically about the messages they were hearing… like the ones in this next song.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM by Drake

This is the song Macklemore just warned you about….

Young Money rapper Drake released this song last month, and so far, Started From the Bottom has done nothing but climb the charts, currently resting in the #6 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s got plenty of the elements usually associated with hip hop music: braggadocios amounts of bling, lots of alcohol, the objectification of women, and of course, plenty of vulgar lyrics. Take a look:

Started from the bottom now we’re here

Started from the bottom now my whole team f**king here

Started from the bottom now we’re here

Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga

Started from the bottom now we’re here

Started from the bottom now my whole team f**king here

Started from the bottom now we’re here

Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga

I done kept it real from the jump

Living at my mama’s house we'd argue every month

Nigga, I was trying to get it on my own

Working all night, traffic on the way home

And my uncle calling me like "Where ya at?

I gave you the keys told ya bring it right back”

Nigga, I just think it’s funny how it goes

Now I’m on the road, half a million for a show

The music video – with its foul language and scantily clad ladies – has racked up millions of views on YouTube. Started basically chronicles Drake’s rise from obscurity in a menial job to that of hip hop superstar. Instead of working the night shift at some corner store, Drake now claims he has become the intersection of wealth and fame.

When Drake released the song, he also gave an explanation for the song’s meaning. “My family and my second family (consisting of the best friends anybody could ever have) all struggled and worked extremely hard to make all this happen. I did not buy my way into this spot and it was the furthest thing from easy to achieve. I am proud of every part of my past and I’m excited for this song to find a place in your life as well.”

For way too many young people, that place in life is their playlist. This song is the antithesis of a godly and generous lifestyle, opting rather for debauchery, overt sexuality, and unchecked materialism described in shamelessly foul language.

But this isn’t even the worst song in the Top 10 this week.

LOVE ME by Lil Wayne (featuring Drake and Future)

When a song opens with “I’m on that good kush [marijuana] and alcohol, I got some down b**ches I can call,” you know it’s going to earn its explicit warning label.

Or, speaking candidly, when the artist is Lil Wayne… you know it’s going to earn its explicit warning label.

Love Me is Lil Wayne’s collaborative effort with Drake and Future that has absolutely nothing to do with love. There’s plenty about lust, but nothing about love as we’ve understood the term for centuries. But since the song has made a significant jump from #19 to #10 this week, it’s like Tina Turner said: “What’s love got to do with it?”

We’ve written about lots of foul music in our Youth Culture Window articles across the years, but this tune has to crack the top three most-vile songs we’ve ever covered. Here’s the song’s first verse:

Pu**y-a** niggas stop hatin'

Lil' Tunechi got that fire

And these hoes love me like Satan...

F**k with me and get bodied

And all she eat is d**k

She on a strict diet

That's my baby

With no makeup she a ten

And she the best with head

Even better than Corinne

She don't want money

She want the time we could spend

She said "cause I really need somebody,

So tell me you're that somebody"

And girl, I f**k who I want

And f**k who I don't

Got that A1 credit

At that Filet Mignon

She say "I never wanna you make you mad,

I just wanna make you proud"

I say "baby, just make me c*m,

Then don't make a sound"

There is no need to go into verse two; the song’s ultra-vulgar music video remains equally filthy throughout.

It’s terribly unfortunate that a person of Lil Wayne’s mass appeal and influence has chosen to produce such toxic lyrics for millions of young people to consume. The rapper was released from jail in 2011 and by the looks of this song, it seems he is making up for lost time.

I just hope his perverted definition of “love” doesn’t catch on with today’s teenagers.

Filtering the Filth

Media is a huge force in kids’ lives, but with the constant release of new music, it can be tough to keep up with all the influences competing for your teenagers’ affections. But, as you’ve seen from some of this week’s music, it’s important to know what’s out there. We can learn a lot about teenagers from iTunes and the music charts. Fortunately, there are a couple ways you can filter today’s music so that your teenagers steer clear of the filth.

1.Do your homework. When we lead parenting seminars (both Jonathan and David), one of the most frequently asked questions is, “How do you know so much about today’s music?” The answer is so simple; we use three well-known websites to stay current: Billboard, Google, and YouTube. We begin with Billboard’s Hot 100 and simply read down the list. If a new song has entered the Top 10 and I’m unfamiliar with it, I jump over to Google and search for the song’s lyrics. After perusing the lyrics, I turn to YouTube to see if the song has a music video. (Note: Some songs never become videos and some songs are released on the radio well before they’re released in video format. Thus, you may have to check back a few times. Just make sure you look for the “official” music video.) Depending on the length of the song, this entire process takes about 7 minutes to complete. This “homework” is simple, so make the small investment that will give you a big return on your kids’ lives.

Another great way to ‘do your homework’ is to let us do most of the work for you. We both are constantly writing about music, media and youth culture in these Youth Culture Window articles, our Parenting Help articles, and in Jonathan’s blog. Subscribe HERE for any of those free resources and we’ll send them to you each week.

2.Counter culture with truth. The three songs above reek of materialism, drugs, alcohol, greed, lust, sexual immorality, and more. Left unchecked, the messages embedded in these songs will soon embed themselves in teenagers’ minds and hearts. The best way to overcome these influences is with the truth of God’s Word. Fortunately for you, The Source for Youth Ministry has lots of totally free tools that can help you combat culture with the truth of Christ’s teachings. For instance, here’s a great resource about blindly seeking riches and wealth. This is another music-based resource that illustrates the pain of a party lifestyle. This YouTube Discussion Starter tackles the tough issue of lust and pornography, while this one shows that drug and alcohol addictions require the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Telling a kid to “cover your ears” stopped working when they were in preschool. As parents and youth workers, we must be far more proactive in helping our teenagers make pure choices regarding their music selections. The discernment they gain could guide them for life.

Jonathan McKee,president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous books including the new Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent, and youth ministry books like Ministry By Teenagers, Connect: Real Relationships in a World of Isolation, and the award winning book Do They Run When They See You Coming? Jonathan speaks and trains at conferences, churches and events across North America, all while providing free resources for youth workers and parents on his websites, TheSource4YM.com and TheSource4Parents.com. You can follow Jonathan on his blog, getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help. Jonathan and his wife Lori, and their three teenagers Alec, Alyssa and Ashley live in California.

David R. Smith is a 15-year youth ministry veteran who helps youth workers and parents through his writing, training, and speaking. David specializes in sharing the gospel, and equipping others do the same. He co-authored his first book this year, Ministry By Teenagers. David provides free resources to anyone who works with teenagers on his website, DavidRSmith.org. David resides with his wife and son in Tampa, Florida.

brianlee

Tuesday, November 15, 2016