NEW LYRICS: THE QUEST

I wrote some lyrics today that could be the beginnings of a song. My lyrics have become deeper and more personally meaningful. However, to anyone else, they’re usually an enigma. Here are the new lyrics:

The battle’s finally settled and the black has turned to grey
Everyone has seen the captured tears and turned away
Do I In murky waters lurks below the one who traps the mind
And all the thoughts now passing through are running out of time Am I
The quest is all I see
No compromise in free
You cannot lie
Can I
You cannot die
Will I
The hands are turning over on a body made of sand
And all rights have been neglected and been taken from the land
Have mine
The sacred has forsaken us with a broken alibi
And all that was once standing has now fallen from the sky
Have I

PENN STATE PUNISHMENT

As I awoke this morning, I heard on the radio that Penn State has been handed down punishments for the child abuse scandal that shocked the nation last year. The punishments included 4 years of bowl game ineligibility, a $60,000,000 fine, and reversing wins coached under Joe Paterno after 1998 to losses, which now means that he is no longer the winningest college football coach. I strongly disagree with this decision for multiple reasons.

1.       This punishment should come against the school and its officials, not the students, and clearly this decision goes against the students. What the hell did they do to deserve this? Nothing!

2.       Joe Paterno followed university protocol when this incident took place. Again if the NCAA decides to punish the university, then do so, but it is solely the fault of the university for having questionable protocol.

3.       Penn State won those games whether the NCAA takes the wins away or not. I always question decisions to take wins away. It would be as if a third party decided to take the win away from Texas, revoked their independence, and made Mexico the ruler again. Penn State won.

If the NCAA wants to punish people in a fair way, it is the individuals involved that should be punished. This needs to take place on an individual level, not at an entire institution level. I believe this was an attempt to “look” tough on child abuse and to come out looking like a hero. Shame, NCAA! Shame!

APPROPRIATE REACTION TO THE COLORADO SHOOTINGS

With the Colorado shootings in recent days, one might wonder what the correct response is. What do we say? What is appropriate, and what is not? These are relevant and indeed frustrating questions. In the overabundance of news media on the issue, I have come to realize that many people have verbally offered up prayers for the victims and their families. This is definitely appropriate. However, I have two issues with this. First of all, I wonder how many people who verbally say they will be praying for the victims and their families actually do what they said. I would imagine that the number is very few. Secondly, as much as people may hate to admit it, the shooter, while troubled as he may be, certainly needs prayer as well. I would even argue that perhaps he needs more prayer than the victims and their families. Compassion and mercy tend to flow from my life so while justice must be accomplished in this situation, we must remind ourselves that the shooter is also someone’s friend, someone’s son, someone’s students, and indeed someone who has been loved by others at some point. Let us obviously remember the victims and their families during this difficult time, but let us not forget the one who was so troubled, so hurt, so confused, and so depressed even that he made the choice to kill people. Let us also remember this man in our prayers.

CONSTITUTIONAL OR MORAL?

I read an article today that angered me. Michael Salman, a pastor and Bible study leader in Phoenix, AZ was arrested a couple of years ago for holding a Bible study in his house. The city says that it was because his house was not zoned as a church so what he did was illegal. I was astonished at how they did it too. It took over a dozen police officers and city officials to bust in his house and arrest him. The story goes on though. He just begun serving a 60 day jail sentence for the “crime;” he will serve 3 years on probation afterwards; and he was given a fine over $12,000. Let’s face it though; this is religious persecution, which will merely increase in the good ‘ol US of A in the future. We all know it whether we admit it or not. We no longer live in the freest country in the world. Not only is what they did unconstitutional (as are so many things that happen in our country…even things that we take for granted every day), but it is also morally wrong. I am typically good about separating morals from the Constitution. I don’t believe you can look at them as one and the same. When you do, you begin to create laws based on religious morality, which soon becomes a theocracy. That is wrong, in and of itself, because Christianity is proposed, not imposed. Jesus set this example. This is why we see no example of him protesting things that were legal despite the fact that they were immoral. As Christians, we should stand for what is right, but we should never impose our morals on anyone else. This is why I have no problem with saying that something that is sin should not necessarily be illegal. I am a constitutionalist, and when we create laws based on religious convictions rather than the Constitution, we become a theocracy faster than we might think. Our country has become unrecognizable in many ways. We don’t know what we are anymore. Stick to the Constitution, and we won’t have that problem. Our freedoms are vanishing little by little, but one day, if we are not careful, they will all be gone; and it will be no one’s fault but our own.

NEW P.O.D SONG, "I AM"

Evidently P.O.D. is back and going strong. I read the lyrics to one of their songs today. I did notice the word, f**k, but it did not bother me. My opinion is that it actually added to the effect of the lyrics and represented the true thoughts and feelings about Christ that many hurting people have. I am glad to see artists being real with their lyrics and unashamed to approach their music in a way that represents the culture. The things they talk about in this particular song are real. The lyrics gripped me, and to answer the question they ask, yes, Jesus Christ died for all of these types of people. Read these lyrics carefully, and think of each of these types of people crying out for a real love, the love of Christ. Many of us are represented in this song, and even if you’re not, you know someone who is.

I Am The Murdered, The Pervert , Sick To The Core
I Am The Unclean, Dope Fiend, I Am The Whore)
I Am The Beat Down, Mistreated, Sexually Abused
I Have Violated, Fornicated and sexually Used
I Am The Con Artist, Cold Hearted, Smooth Preacher
Cash Stealer, Emotion Bleeder, The Soul Lecher
I Feed Off The Poor But I'm A Slave To The Rich
I'm In Depression So, This Reflection is Making Me Sick
Are You The One That's Come To Set Me Free ?
Cause If You Knew Who I Am, Would You Really Want To Die For Me ?
They Say You Are The Cursed Man, The One Who Hangs From This Tree
I Know This Is The One and only son of GOD But Tell Who the fuck is he!
So tell me!
I Am Fake, A fraud, A Phony, I'm Known Liar
Anorexic, Rejected Object of your desire
Suicidal Thoughts, Keep one in the chamber
I'm A turned out streetwalking Heroin Banger
I Am a secret cutter, Porn lover, The Town, Drunkard
Next Door, Neighborhood slut, I am Somebody's mother
Out casted arrogant bastard son
I am the talk of the town but this story's just begun
I am what you reaped, I am what you sewed
I am that guy talking to himself, I am alone
I'm the forgotten child ravaged and raped through sex traffic
And Since I'm a little strange, My daddy called me a faggot
I am insecure, Immature, Even I Discuss Me
In denial, Pill Pop'n, Prescription junkie
I see demons, Eyes Bleeding, My Soul Impure
Already know that I'm the disease, But tell me what's the cure?
This is me, We are him and i am you
Old things have passed away and all things become new!