All Shook Up

There are times in life when your reality is deeply shaken through a series of events. Today has been one of those days. It has been a fairly normal day but as I was sitting here waiting for my lunch date to call, I decided to browse around on what's been going on in my friends' lives through the wonderful world of blogging. Let me preface by saying that things in my life have been somewhat difficult lately - there have been a lot of issues that have been weighing on my heart and my mind that have me questioning....waiting.....clinging. And today I have been reminded of how incredibly self-centered I have been.

A man and his companion, going to visit friends. Mistaken for someone else, they were both brutally and senselessly murdered. Realizing they had just killed the wrong people, the murderers drug the bodies to a nearby village, essentially framing the innocent village for their crime. Meanwhile, word gets back home. An innocent, loving, hardworking husband and father of 5 has been killed. In retaliation and anger, the friends and family of the slain attack the village where the bodies were found - burning everything and killing all of the animals. The innocent village then, robbed of all their possessions for a crime they did not commit, react with vengeance upon the original perpetrators. A war is still raging in the mountains between two villages - the framed and the guilty.

Back in St. Louis du Nord, the town weeps. Thousands of mourners file into the funeral of the men, wailing for the lost and comforting those left behind. The wife and mother of five falls apart. Being HIV positive, her body is already weak. She cannot support a family of six by herself. She decides to part with three of her children, sending them to an orphanage in another town. The children, not quite comprehending what has happened, are excited to go to the orphanage because it means they can eat. The oldest child, of only nine years, stays to help care for the youngest child of 18 months, who is also HIV positive.

A man murdered. A town shattered. A family ripped apart. All because of a mistaken identity.

This has been the life of my friend Heather this past week. Left to comfort and encourage, yet finding the questions of "Why" incredibly hard to answer. Yet she stays. She loves. She prays and she cries. And she lives a life worthy of the calling she has received.

Please pray for her.

Surrender

Abraham. His story occupies a relatively small part of the Bible, yet is one of the great pillars of faith in the Christian religion, as well as the religions of Islam and Judaism. A very interesting man who I have been desiring to learn about a lot in the past week or so. I feel God has some great things to show me through his story and will share later what I've thought about so far. In the mean time, if you have any cool / interesting thoughts on Abraham, feel free to share. I actually ask that you do. I enjoy hearing what other people think on specific topics I am checking out. Anyway, just wanted to post this for now. Have a great day. :)

ps.... I just started this book so I can't recommend it, but so far, it has been enlightening. And the old man sitting next to me at the book store was impressed that I was reading it for leisure and not school. BJ- 2 Everyone else - 0

January

The funny thing is, I find myself frequenting my own blog to see if there are any updates. I get disappointed when there aren't, then I remember that I am the one who has to update. So when there are none, it is really no one's fault but my own. Yet I'm still surprised. Odd.

In other news, I want to take a moment to promote something that is very near and dear to my heart. Music. Yes. As most of you know, music speaks to me. If there is a song in particular that really reaches out to me and grabs me in the moment, I become addicted and force the song on everyone who cares to listen. Because of this love I have, I get very excited about truly good music, even more so when backed by quality people. Which is what you find with, among many others, Matt Wertz, Third Day, Sister Hazel, and The State. I am here today to promote the latter of them all. Good. Deep. Rock. The State.

Headed up by two very driven and talented men, The State is venturing into the world of high voltage rock music with passion and determination. I am no musical critic so anything I attempt to say here will undoubtedly fall short of expressing the talent in the band; from lyrics to beat to the driving force of the lead guitar, this is a band that you will want to check out. You can sample some of their music here or you can go to www.ichannelmusic.com where you can search for them, listen to more of their music, rate it accordingly, and request their songs to be played via the online radio station operated by the website. And if you get the chance, check them out live. As with any good rock music, hearing them live is an experience you won't want to miss.

So there's my plug dedicated to a very good friend who is living out his dream. Check them out. It will be worth your while.