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Surely there have been some thoruoghly beautiful individuals to have walked this earth. Not all take hold of that beauty and grace the world with its freshness. No not all have the courage to rise from the tragedy that we all at some point face, and not only rise, ...but thrive.
This is the difference between truly beautiful people and the truly beautiful who unleash their prodigious potential. Maya Angelou was one of those people.

One of my favorite quotes of hers is:

"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be."

One of the great deceptions on this earth is that there is a rigid and ordinary mold in which we each ought to fit. This concept leads us to devalue the unique beauty that God made within your mother's womb. It can even lead us to sin as we make split and rash decisions in order not to "stand out" too much. 
As I have watched interviews and performances of Dr. Angelou (who by the way never went to college to receive her over 30 honorary degrees), I cannot help but to notice:
Her tone of voice, the rhythym in which she spoke, her frankness, her wit, her wisdom...It's just there, certainly not average, a bit odd even. But I gather that it came with years of practicing the art of forsaking this notion of normality; and it is the embracing of her gifts, and choosing not to allow them to grow stale....but allowing them to make a return

She understood that there is tragedy, suffering and death. Because of this she didn't take her time here lightly. She knew she was apart of a bigger and greater story...

"Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise."

-Maya Angelou 

She is going to be greatly missed. How bitter-sweet the news.
Be bold and courageous in this life!...that the weight of greatness displayed may be ascribed to it's Creator,...God, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of man, ...female and male in His own image.

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So I’m making a comeback in the world of blogging. I simply could not help myself. I visited my twitter app and saw a video clip of a panel of reformed men on reformed hip-hop (biblically correct/sound hip-hop). My heart was broken.

The Worship of God Q&A: Holy Hip-Hop from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Some very easy emotions after this video are anger, frustration and bitterness. Having had my life’s experiences however, I chose to focus on my feeling of compassion for those of my brethren in Christ who (based on their responses in this video) have no compass for discourse outside of their own cultural context.

I’m going to discuss this video in light of 3 different perspectives: 1) My professional perspective; 2) What I have learned of Hip-Hop Culture; and 3) What I have learned of the dominant culture (to which I believe the panelists belong).

#1

     I was born in the city of St Louis, MO, raised in Germany (from age 3) speaking German, and returned to the U.S. where my income is earned by teaching another foreign language, Spanish.

As a foreign language teacher one of my biggest complaints from students is “I just can’t understand it. They talk too fast.” I tell my students that “no, they [foreign language speakers] are in general speaking at the same rate that you do. It just sounds completely foreign to you, so you cannot even comprehend that they are indeed saying one word after another. I then recommend that my students watch the 6pm news on a Hispanic TV station, everyday for a couple of weeks, so that the sounds become more and more differentiated and relevant in the students ear/mind. I tell them that I DO NOT expect that they understand much of what they hear; and that they should be able to understand the context of the show as I assume they have watched the news and weather in English. This activity gives my students a foundation and a fighting chance to begin their journey of learning and understanding another language.

I share this because (1) this is how I believe these panelists hear Hip-Hop Music; and (2) . The music is so foreign to them that they cannot get past the fact that biblically sound Hip-Hop is yet another “net” and lens by which some of us “fishers of men” answer the call to the Great Commission.

As I heard these panelists speak of the music or the beat of hip-hop songs being distracting or taking away from the sound lyrics, Foreign Language acquisition is all I could think about! This is the Merriam-Webster definition of ignorance. Now, the confidence in which they dismissed the reformed version of this art form can be attributed to plain old sin. L

 #2

There is a significantly large group of people who see the world through the lens of Hip-Hop culture. So if this is how they see the world, if this is the language in which they speak, why not translate? Why not become Hip-Hop to reach those who are Hip-Hop? Better yet, if you were born into the Hip-Hop culture and have had a life-changing encounter with the God of this universe through the saving hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, why not preach that saving hope in your native tongue?... HIP-HOP! This is essentially where I believe some of these reformed artists are coming from. So to the panelist shouting “conforming cowards,” I reject that! How is one conforming to “the world” by being an ambassador for Christ in his/her own cultural context? Speaking his or her own cultural language? To the tunes and rhythms of his/her own cultural music?

I believe that out of the abundance of this panelist’s heart he speaks: “You have converted to Christianity and have decided not to look, act, think, and speak like me!! You have not converted to my culture! You coward!” The gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ is not bound by the Anglo-colonial culture, the Hip-Hop culture, or by any of the thousands of cultures that exist in God’s creation. We are called to make disciples of all nations/ethnicities.

#3
After I shared this video with my husband, in his disappointment he said,  something that had me all nerdy and excited (what happens when 2 teachers get married…)… He said “This is the handicap of the dominant culture.” What is the dominant culture? The dominant culture of a society can be defined as the demographic majority. In the U.S.A. (though this is rapidly changing), we can consider “white” as the dominant ethnicity/culture (I can write a whole blog on the concept of race as a social construct and not a scientific reality,… but I digress for the sake of making this point).The handicap of a dominant culture is that they see themselves as the standard. Think about it. If you have always lived in a world where “good” things are associated with your kind and “less than good things” are associated with others who are not your kind, how else is there to think? I am not excusing this lack of consideration for others and their unique looks, abilities, cultures, languages, customs and traditions. I am simply trying to crack open a can of worms in hopes to shed light on the disposition of some individuals belonging to the dominant culture. Hear me when I say: “It is not right.” For the panelist who said something to the effect that rap always points to the glory of the individual rapper, that is an unjustified opinion. I think it was just a slip of the tongue to make his point seem relevant. If this is true, than this is true for all types of music. He is, from his position as a member of the dominant culture, making this statement to be a “negative,” only applying to the music of the minority culture. There are plenty of skilled song-writers in a variety of genres (dominant and non-dominant) who are known for their amazing lyrical and artistic abilities. Why does this panelist only make it out to be a negative attribute when credit is given to a skilled hip-hop artist? … He suffers from the handicap of the dominant culture.

In conclusion, I responded with the following tweet:

“Soul Conversion vs. Cultural Conversion: The latter is a counterfeit and a haughty ambition.”

(You can follow my tweets @ECollierMusic)

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Tweet I have to write (type) what is on my heart. About eternity, what is it? Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it this way:

ETERNITY

1: the quality or state of being eternal

2: infinite time eternity>

3: plural : age 3b

4: the state after death : immortality

5: a seemingly endless or immeasurable time eternity of delays>

 

So, there is indeed a concept of eternity, even in our world. It is hard to wrap my mind around the concept of FOREVER. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that:

^"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

 If eternity is indeed a true concept. Then how long is this life on the spectrum of eternity? It would be such a short time that its as dismissible as a piece of dust on eternity's timeline. 

 

This is a touchy subject, I know, but I write from the pains of a grieving heart. Seriously, when all around I see lightheartedness in response to our popular culture, our do what you feel, our "you do you and I'll do me" attitudes, our crediting ourselves as "the authority" on how we are to live our lives,... the idea of ETERNITY often pops into my head.

If eternity is real, after we die, what happens to the popular "I'll do me, and you do you?" SERIOUSLY,... who is really the boss when the final breath escapes our lungs? I know one thing, This makes me all the more serious about using this little speck of dust of time in eternity understanding and spreading the Truth of God. I mean, a fad, or what you say is cool, or wise, or right is not going to matter. If it does, than you are equating yourself with an ultimate authority, you are equating yourself with being a god.

 

There is a song by a talented Hip-Hop artist named Lacrae that I have been holding on to lately. in this song, he says (I believe speaking tomen who believe they are living "the good life." 

"If you keep the end in focus you can't keep it when it's over
And when it's over there's something else starts
Only thing that's really gon' matter is that hope inside your heart
What you trusting in what you lusting in
For that busty momma that's strutting in
And you popping bottles you throwing dollars
That's cool but partner this just in
That you gon' live forever whether you want to or not
Some of us gon' end up holy some of us gon' end up hot
Tell this life to keep my problems kiss my momma when I'm gone
Tell her I have no regrets and I'm home I'm home."

 

Much sincere love to all who may read this. Here is the video/song:

 

 

 

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Tweet Lately I have been studying on how to better parent my children. I just really wanted to know that they were getting what they needed from me.Well, this morning, after hearing about the tragic Batman premiere movie theatre shooting, and learned that most of the 12 victims were children, I had to take a pause.



I thought to myself, "What kind of hope can you give to a mother who after the media buzz is over, still has to go pick out a little 4'-5' casket? What can you say to her? Would she even hear you?" I doubt it seriously. You see our kids are truly a gift from our heavenly Father above. You look at them and just feel joy. You can remember what the delivery room looked like where you first laid eyes on them. You can remember how when you were down, looking at their carefree spirit gave you hope.
 Is their any condolence that can be offered that would make it all better."

The event is so fresh, and so close to our hearts at the moment that its hard to even think of such a thing. Though there is hope, what has been done as been done. It will not be reversed in this life. So should we go about our normal day and just think, "Man, that's tough...poor things." Yes, recognizing the tragedy is good, but it should not stop there. If there can be something good produced from it, then at the very least, it was not in vain.
If you have children, or children in your life, you had better love the mess out of them today. Look into their bright eyes and see what God has done. Not because you are sooooo deserving of this great gift (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6,),...No we are not deserving. BUT GOD! In His loving grace allowed His own Son to take the penalty for us, make us joint heirs, give us GOOD gifts, like children.

My gifts...

 Likewise, let us lavish gifts on our undeserving children today (I know I am not alone when it comes to children not always deserving a treat..). Show them love, show them grace!

This morning I took careful time in preparing a warm breakfast for my family. I served chocolate (almond) milk before they drank their water. I made sure to sprinkle some shredded cheese over their eggs (because that always makes my daughter smile). I prayed with them. ...As tears began to well up in my eyes, I kissed them each on their foreheads. After swimming lessons, we rode over some train tracks (just because that always makes my sons day.) There is a time for everything under the sun. A time for discipline and chastisement, and a time for grace and mercy. Let us all choose wisely, as we are now setting up or breaking down our children's understanding about our gracious and just God.

R.I.P. Little ones. Praise the Lord little ones, for he is Holy. Joy in His presence as you are now free from pain, sin, and sorrow. Bless the parents and families of these little ones. Let us pray for them.

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Tweet I went to Starbucks a couple of days ago to prepare for an interview and saw this on a magazine cover:

Umm,..Our "Bikini Ready" is going to look a little different

I thought to myself,... "Wow, is this what they are selling to us 30+ women? I am not saying it is unattainable for all of us. I am saying that its unrealistic and I definitely don't think this should be a cover photo for an article on "Women's Health."

I mean, for the majority of us who look at a magazine like this while in the check out line, does it send the message of "Yes! I can," or "Wow, I'll never be able to..." wherever you stand,...I am almost certain that there are mixed messages that pop up in our heads when we see something like this.

If you have been following this blog, you know that I put on about 13 lbs in about 4-6 months. I had decided to loose some of that. Since I started, a week ago, I've lost 4 LBS!!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaye!

The kids lunch

Here's how I did it,

Click if you'd like to buy a copy

I DID- get up in the mornings, and meditated over my day in the Wordand in the practical things I want to accomplish. 

My son flexing after packing his mouth with Kale!

I DID NOT- focus on the negative things (that includes that new jiggly tire around my waist! LOL)
I DID- Eat lots of salad with hearty greens (Kale & Spinach), egg whites for protein, and measured my salad dressing. For more
I DID NOT- say "Hey, I'm going on a diet!" and then go grocery shopping and put the same old things in the cart!
I DID- Incorporate the whole family's meals with my diet foods.
I DID NOT- Try to go at this thing alone. For example, they ate what I did plus some whole grain carbohydrates.
I DID - Work out on that elliptical to Trip Lee's "The Good Life" for 35 minutes. This CD has
changed my world! I love a good beet and the
Lord, finally I can have both without
compromising music quality or mybeliefs! I
recommend you see what a little $5.99 can do for
you! (Click his photo)

My favorite Hip-Hop CD! Click photo to buy a copy ($5.99)

Hah! Good-bye Kanye's "Workout Plan" lol!  (Still working on doing it more than once a week,...it's a start right? *Work in Progress*)
I DID NOT- Flip to Netflix or Reality TV (ooooh,.. I wanted to!) Get chips & Queso Dip, wine and "relax" (by the way, exercise provides more stress relief than the above activity).

Keep your head up ladies! I also found this book to be very helpful as well ;)

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Tweet I would like to start out with a famous article entitled State of the Village (Original by Donella Meadows)

If the World were a village of 100 people:

The village would have 61 Asians, 13 Africans, 12 Europeans, 9 Latin Americans, and 5 from the USA and Canada
50 would be male, 50 would be female
75 would be non-white; 25 white
67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian
80 would live in substandard housing
16 would be unable to read or write
50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
33 would be without access to a safe water supply
39 would lack access to improved sanitation
24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do
have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
8 people would have access to the Internet
1 would have a college education
1 would have HIV
2 would be near birth; 1 near death
5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth; all 5 would be US citizens
48 would live on less than US$ 2 a day
20 would live on less than US$ 1 a day

********************************************************************************

Today I had an interview for the position of World Languages Department Chair at an IB World School. Overall the interview went very well. I think I scored the most "points" when I shared why I like the circular model of leadership. I explained how knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and delegating their portion of the task/project in such a way that it caters to their strengths helps to make the best possible outcome. Diversity is beautiful! Whether we are reading the article above or working together to accomplish something.

Now as this relates to the body of Christ, the church, boy are we diverse! I grew up in an on-base church overseas, came to the USA and joined a Missionary Baptist, went to a Pentecostal church all through High School, did a missions project where my church home was Methodist, and then spent about 9 years in the Presbyterian Church of America (I have had life changing experiences in each setting,.. and have not agreed 100% within each setting). We've got the intellectuals, the feelers, the creative/artistic folks, the organized planners, the conceptual folks and the detailed folks. We have those that claim you must be Holy Ghost filled and those that are comfortable with the Holy Spirit in theory. My point? We are all different. The most important thing we need to have in common is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,...that none can come to the Father (One true God) except through Him. We should have in common the belief in the divinity of Christ.

Now, on any other topic,... let's be real, some are probably right and some are wrong, and vice versa AND the mature realize that we now all see dimly and that there will be a time when we know/see fully.

So what do we do with this information? One thing we need not do is build walls and constantly  criticize one another's worship styles. We don't need to make people feel like less of a Christian for their lack of theological/doctrinal understanding. We don't need to make anyone feel like less of a Christian because they may not be in tune to how the Holy Spirit is moving during a service (or anytime for that matter.

We should realize this: 1 Corinthians12:12-26
In short, we are all members of one body. . Each of us is necessary. The hand and the foot will have different jobs and different perspectives...but those differences combine to make one incredible body. Jesus said: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”^, 

So, whether we play guitar and sing Christian Soft Rock, or make beets to biblical Hip-Hop, or play the organ and violin ^{While singing hymns. Whether we no dancing, or dance like David, Whether we do or don't lift Holy hands, or say Amen out loud,... If the essentials are their,.. don't be overly critical. Don't compare yourself to others to feel worthy. Love}

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Tweet This one is going to be short but sweet. I was watching the movie A Thousand Words  last night. It was funny, and packed with principles. Principles of healing. The big idea that I took from it was that "The truth shall set you free"
John 8:31-32
³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

This is a very practical statement Jesus used that can be applied to many areas in our lives. Now about healing. You will continue in a cycle of hurt, anger, and reaction based living if you do not know the Truth (capitol "T" hah!). In healing, it is necessary to understand the truth about why you are hurt. It's important to admit the truth about why you may feel less than, angry, etc.

Chances are it will be difficult to do this. Some of us have been in a repetitive cycle of pain, sorrow, and/or anger for a long time, some of us since we were kids. This applies to men and women. OK, we know women talk more,... Don't get me wrong, but there is nothing like when a man shares the truth about whats on his heart. This world is full of sin and brokenness it effects us all. Let us find peace in the Truth of God's Word.

The Lord is after the Way the Truth and the Life. Find your answers in the person of Him and the work he did for you 2000+ years ago.

My husband shared His heart with me this evening. What a privilege, an honor, and furthermore a picture of the connectedness & submission of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thank you God for a marriage that grows stronger with time (and kids...).

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