Letters from Lilongwe

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While working this morning my ears awoke to the lyrics of this powerful song!  From NoiseTrade, I downloaded the score produced for the Charity Water 10 year anniversary video, "The Spring".   I have listened through this instrumental album multiple times but for some reason this morning this powerful arrangement caught my attention.  After being draw into the middle of these lyrics  I took the time to understand the context of creation.  This song describes the voice of a person about to expel their last breath passing along these words about existence.   How rare and beautiful it is to even exist How often do walk through life without being alive, void of presence, preoccupied by worries of tomorrow, blind to our own existence.  Being aware in this moment seems to be the most difficult aspect of life!  I have found that my instinct is to run, run away from discomfort and my failures, run from the her and now, reaching for some alternat...

Lately I have been listening to lots of music and podcasts while working and biking to work.  I was feeling a need for some new music so I turned to NoiseTrade to check out some new artists.  My favorite thus far is Jess Ray because of the honest lyrics, tastefully simple musicality and overall enjoyable listening environment.  While on my flight back to Atlanta I was struck by this song at first because of the drums that propel this song behind the walking guitar.  If I were to add drums to a track like this it would have been done in a very similar manner.  Once I got past the drums I was awe struck by the simple power of these lyrics, take a read below and follow the link to her blog to listen.   To me it was not written for an outward expression of hope or encouragement but rather as a inward proclamation to the soul.  As the psalmist often choose to sing, this song speaks inward in a call to stand up and be reminded of truth all to often for...

These days spent working on my Architecture projects have gotten much better after this album was released!  The simplistic nature of his musicality completes the lyrics that are soaked in truth.  Take some time to disconnect from the noise of the world and rest in this album.   I do not have time or effort to breakdown the importance of each stanza of this album therefore I encourage deep reflection and contemplation into their purpose and value.  Starting from the start and process towards the end and I know that the Lord will slowly reveal himself.  Its amazing how music can have such an influence on human civilization and the Lord uses it every minute of each day to reveal more of himself.  Allow this album to break down the distractions of this world and bring you into the presence of God. Home by Josh Garrels I went the ways of wayward winds In a world of trouble and sin Walked a long and crooked mile Behind a million rank and...

I have been praying throughout this week about where/who/what I should do after school.  Today I realized that many of the variables that I have been evaluating have to do with others opinions.  They relate to how others will respond when I tell them I am going to do "x".  If I tell folks I am going to travel around the country working on farms, they will respond with the impression that I am some really cool, earthy, adventuresome guy.  If I tell them I am going to work from some Fortune 500 company that they know about, then they will be impressed at my skill, ability, ambition, etc.  If I tell people that I do not really have a plan but I know everything will turn out just fine, then I come across as either lazy or super chill and carefree.  I evaluate the options that I on the basis of how others will react. Today I remembered how this is a choice that effects only a portion of my life and will help guide my future through good and bad experiences. ...

On the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  I was laying in bed trying to sleep but sleep did not come!  This is not an often occurrence for me, I typically konk out within a few minutes and sleep the night through without a problem.  This night was different, I actually was excited for the thoughts that swarmed my mind and kept me fully awake while laying in the darkness.  I was filled with ideas for my post graduation adventures and I could not silence the voice of calling.  This calling reminds me that life is not ment to be lived in the mold of expectations and confines of structure.  We live on this planet to live an adventure with our creator God who has redeemed and restored us through the loving sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ.  I may have lost some folks whenever I start diving into my beliefs but please track with my thought because it has shaped my life and is extraordinarily i...

Ministry to the poverty stricken be they homeless or simply below the poverty line is very challenging.  These are people with hopes and dreams, passion and love but we find it hard to treat them as humans.  Over the last few years I have become more and more exposed to this reality through relationships with brothers and sisters on the streets and the local community.  While praying this morning I realized that we as a compassionate community see the need to help those in homelessness as a no brainer.  You see someone without shoes, find them shoes!  But we then find it harder to give time and resources to those on the fringe of homelessness.  The people I am thinking of are the single mothers working three jobs trying to make ends meet so that she does not get herself evicted.  I know that we have a large portion of the poverty stricken community in Atlanta that is on the brink of homelessness and need hope just as much as those already on the stree...

My typical morning routine includes taking a shower, grabbing some cloths, eating some cereal and then walking down the parking deck.  The Volvo takes a solid 5-10 minutes to warm up in this cold weather.  Therefore I take a the time to read through a chapter out of the Bible.  This is always a great way to start my day as I remember the things in life that have the most value!  This old engine is pushing me to sit with the Lord everyday and wrestle through his words.   Typically my head unit is playing some music while car warms up.  But this morning as my music was silent the Lord opened my eyes to an image that has never caught my eye.  I have never noticed this simply spray painted statement of "LOVE WINS".  It perfectly meshed with the passage out of Romans this morning talking about being dead to sin and alive in Christ.  Are we to keep on sinning so that grace may abound?  By no means should we take this love that ha...

When the music stops what do I hear? The lack of beautiful music leaves my mind to race to and fro.  Thought to thought I can hardly stop my busy mind as it runs through the forest.  This feeling is quite natural but at the same time feels oh so foreign to me.  For four out of the past five years I have learned to rejoice in the silence of solitude.  Stepping away for times of refreshing walks by the river and hours of restful quite in my room.  This past year I have dreaded the thought of silence because I have felt that my mind was out of control.  Thoughts flashing through my mind would captivate my emotions and steal the affections of my soul.  Therefore I learned how to silence those thoughts by two main techniques.  First, to keep myself busy leaving no room for silence in my life.  Second, keep noise as a filler in the background slowing my thoughts and refocus them on that which truly matter.  This tactic is not one that I fea...

Listening through another album from Noisetrade the title of this song cause my eye and prompted me into a post.  As I work through my days at my Co-Op I learn more and more about the expectation of my future that that are born both from my own desires and external pressures of society.  Looking towards my future I see myself following the ways of the world and pursuing a career that I only partially love because I love the money much more.  I see the multifaceted benefits of money and have concluded for myself that I can be very comfortable with minimal monetary wealth.  I see the joys of giving, blessing people around myself, being able to give my future family opportunities that only money can provide.  I also see the destruction that can come as money becomes an all consuming idol that robs me of passion, creativity, and my created purpose.  Therefore this song sparks an interesting inner dialog because I desire to live a life consumed fully by family...

Looking ahead of the concert schedule I realized that Paper Route was coming to town in mid December and I got excited!  One of my great ways to make computer work fly by is listening to music, therefore this morning I listened through the first Paper Route album "The Pease of Wild Things".  The sounds that this band carries first caught my ear two summer ago when I heard You and I .  Broad sweeping powerful alternative rock with lyrics that stir my thoughts.  I tend to enjoy artists that have spiritual undertones as they speak about life and love. Calm my soul woke me up this morning and I would like to pass along some of the reasons why.  The first verse resonates well with my life as I am learned year by year, making mistakes, living to tell the tale of grace.  A few weeks ago on a trip to TN with some buddies I realized for the first time that I actually forgot a lot of my events in about the last two years of life.  It is really strange but th...

So let Go my Soul and Trust in Him The waves and wind still know his name! While eating my breakfast this morning I was thinking through the above lyrics that we sung on Sunday morning at Midtown.  Then a picture landed in my head that I could not shake.  I saw myself holding on to the rudder of a small sail boat in the middle of the storm.  Wave after wave crashing into the boat.  I was standing firm and holding on to the rudder for dear life to keep the boat pointed in the direction that I wanted.  Each time the wind would change direction the rudder would slap me around and I started to see the meaning behind this picture. I try so hard to control my life, my future, my possessions, my friends and at the end of the day I am broken and bruised from the storms of life.  This morning the Lord simply said, let go of the rudder for a while.  Let me take control and let the storm go its course.  Let go of the rudder, the boat will travel where...

Searching through Noise Trade I tend to find great artists that I would have never encountered.  Yesterday I came across Vincent James and I have been listing to his EP all morning!  Powerful harmonies and strumming patterns that remind me of Judah and The Lion truly brings life from music.  Typically on first pass the musical arrangement is what truly awakes a desire to return to the album again then I tend to find the lyrics to be even more powerful!  This song exemplifies that process as this powerful duet captures the ear and then his powerful motifs about how life that arises in the dawn.   http://vincentjames.bandcamp.com/track/the-dawn-2   Hallelujah I can just start to see the light and this wilderness below  that we had come to know has given light, given life, given hope. Praise the Lord for the dawn!  The night seems so dark, we feel lost in ourselves, lost in our minds, lost in our sin.  Then the hope of light...

I love this song!  I started listening to Church Clothes Vol 2 about a week ago in my car and have been loving it so much!  This song has a fun beat and a play full vibe to it and throughout the whole song Lecrae and Paul Wall set the stage as of how you do not need a awesome car.  This is gonna be the anthem for my old Volvo! [Verse 1: Lecrae] Yo, aye look 5th wheel straight hangin' Grip the grain, I’m swangin' It’s Texas all on my roots boy Ain’t no point in me changing On 45, trunk bangin' From fair park to south acres I hit big T’s then I hit kings In the same day no playin I’m whippin, I’m dippin though the great state of Texas I used to rock the gold, tall t's with a necklace My car wasn’t mean but I kept that thing clean Paint chip, couple dents And the brakes used to scream Oh well, I still gotta let that trunk knock Hear me beatin down yo block And my car just stopped again Mayne, my gas gauge don’t work I can’t te...

I think its funny that we are so concerned with making money!  The preaching of a poet always makes me think deeper about my life!  Revealing lies that I have believed or just forcing me to ask the simple question Why?   Why do I work so hard at Tech?  Why do I hold a entry level position at a construction supply company?  Why do I fight my peers to attain a high GPA?   Then comes the simply motive that has driven many men mad, Money!  The power of Money is traced through every civilization causing brother to kill brother for the lust of Gold.  In our current day we see the results of our past generations as we are disposed towards a life in search of wealth.  We are in search of freedom and this tends to be from the woes of financial crisis.  We run from anything that might impede a comfortable life and typically money can buy away our discomfort.  Therefore the search for money drives folks down a road of selfish desire ...

I have been reading a book about the arts and Christians role in creating culture.  Steve Turner, the author, asserts a major critique that modern Christian art does not speak about real life.  The art created does not sound genuine or have any ties to real life that people outside the faith can connect with.  While reading the book I listened through this album and I think that this song does a great job of breaking the mold.  The members of Needtobreathe are all outspoken followers of Jesus but very little of the art that they produce mentions Jesus or Christianity at all.  Instead they craft creative music, written from places of pain and joy.   "Rise Again"  steps through pain that occurs in life as we see relationships stretched and torn.  The bitterness of broken hearts and friendships is then contrasted with the truth that we will get up from this pain and rise again.   "I can see us moving on, I can feel that coming on strong", the j...

I have been listening to this new Needtobreathe album and I really want to take this evening to relax and listen through the album slowly analyzing the lyrics.  Enjoy one of my favorite tracks and expect an explosion of posts in the next 48 hours. Brother Let Me Be Your Shelter Needtobreathe is comprised of two brothers and childhood friends and as you follow this group you realize more and more of the tension produced by years and years on tour.  If you want a window into the full story simply follow this link and watch a short documentary they created called "Prove the Poets Wrong" . Never Leave You All Alone I Can Be The One To Call When You're Low Tonight I feel the Love that draws me back home to Georgia Tech for another semester with my Brothers at Theta Xi.  In the years I have seen relationships come and go due to my actions and the actions of others.  But the one thing that I know is that the men who surround me on campus are my shelter...

I normally would accompany posting a song with some personal thoughts but I think today I will simply let the lyrics be the topic of conversations.  Listen and read and let the poetic power of a hurting man speak to your soul. And I asked you to be a symbol of the strength that was once given Yet you mocked me Oh, the mockery And I place so much confidence in the lessons I swear you taught me Yet you mock me Oh, the mockery You taunt me about glory days You say my best is yet behind me You just bring up old stuff; our relationship is so unhealthy So codependent, you cut me Down You blame me, I blame me And I'm a man and I won't crack and I won't show emotions right I do just like my daddy did and his did I bury you I build me a mausoleum with a storage unit attached to it just for you And I've grown so very weary at failing to make you stay there I hate it when you show up at my functions; you're so pompous And without an...