I wrote a rap.
I got into the assignment by accident. See, at work, we have these creative meetings where we plan out sermon illustrations, kids videos, logo designs, and other creative stuff. The particular meeting where I was assigned rap-writing duty was one to discuss creative elements for a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. The pastor said something about the sixth commandment (do not murder) and how he wasn't going to simply preach on physically killing people. I replied, to clarify, "Like, killing in the head?"
Somehow that translated in his mind to "Killin' in da Head"--the perfect title for a rap. Since I was the one to "come up with the title", I was assigned to writing the rap (also probably because everyone thought it would be funny to make me write a rap).
Using this (hilarious) guide, along with this video, I wrote a rap.
Without further ado, "Killin' in da Head":
Performed by Jeff Kelly and Ryan Coatney
Lyrics--Elizabeth Hyndman (2nd verse edits--Ryan Coatney)
Music--John Carroll
Video/Editing--Jeff Kelly
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Things I Like Tuesday: Catalog Living
The tag line for Catalog Living is "A look into the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs." So funny. Here's the link: http://catalogliving.net/
Saturday, October 23, 2010
a quote I stole from another blog
“If I had my life to live over again, I’d try to make more mistakes next time.
I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I know of very few things I would take seriously.
I would take more trips. I would be crazier.
I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets.
I would do more walking and looking.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.”
-written by a Friar in a Nebraska monastery
[as quoted on Matt Wertz' tumblr]
Friday, October 22, 2010
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I found the Church in Eastern Kentucky
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. [...] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. [...] The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you." 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6, 12-13, 21
Recently, I went on a mission trip to Leslie County, Kentucky with a group from my church. Leslie County is one of the poorest counties in the country, located in the Appalachian Mountains.
We talked a lot about the fact that often on mission trips, it is easy to slip into a sort of savior-complex. We often subconsciously, if not consciously, think "I'm going on this mission trip because these poor people need my help." I realized that isn't true. The truth is, they do need God, but not us. And certainly, he can reveal himself without our help. Thankfully, we are sometimes allowed to be a part.
The first day we were there, we helped with food distribution. I put my camp WalMart-run skills to use by running through WalMart as if on Supermarket Sweep to get fill a few carts full of food (because of a mix up, we had run out). Once the WalMart van got back, I helped people get food and take it to their vehicles. Two of the ladies I spoke with told me about their ministries. They didn't use the word "ministry," but that's what they were doing. They told me of their hearts for children and elderly folks and explained to me what they did to make a difference in the lives of those they know.
The next day we went to a small church service. Half of our team nearly outnumbered the members present, but I saw from their calendar that low numbers did not limit their caring for the community around them. They had several listings for Angel Food distribution, among a few other community-wide events.
We went to a "holler" to love on some kids that afternoon. We got to see these rough-and-tumble kids joyfully greet the Big Creek Missions (the organization we worked with) staff who love on them year-round. They loved us automatically because the Big Creek staff brought us and the Big Creek staff loved them.
Monday, we went to an adult daycare center to play games with the residents. Our youngest team members, Lillie Cate (3) and Nora Blake (2) enjoyed the activities as much as the residents and showed them Jesus by not realizing the differences between themselves and those at the center.
Later, we worked at a clothing distribution center helping out a lady named Drucie. Let me tell you, Drucie was a big surprise. She retired from being a hairdresser, but read Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and determined not to waste her retirement. She took over the clothing distribution center and began taking mission trips to Haiti. Her goal is to open up a soup kitchen and an orphanage in Haiti and I believe she'll do it. She sat and talked with us for a while before the center opened. She is extremely well-read--she discussed both Piper and R. C. Sproul with us. At one point she said some people wait around for a calling, but "it's not a calling; it's a command!" Love it.
During all of this, I was a part of a team that included preschoolers through grandparents. There were people from all stages and walks of life, serving alongside each other. I should also mention that during the days, half of our team did construction work, while the other half did the activities described above. I love that God used both ability and availability in our team. Some people were able to use the skills and gifts they already had, while others learned new things as they simply made themselves available for God's work.
So, while God graciously allowed me to be a part of the work he's doing in Appalachia, I became very aware that I was far from being needed.
This mission trip showed me the Church. Young and older, across cultures, serving side-by-side to show God's love to those who need it.
Recently, I went on a mission trip to Leslie County, Kentucky with a group from my church. Leslie County is one of the poorest counties in the country, located in the Appalachian Mountains.
We talked a lot about the fact that often on mission trips, it is easy to slip into a sort of savior-complex. We often subconsciously, if not consciously, think "I'm going on this mission trip because these poor people need my help." I realized that isn't true. The truth is, they do need God, but not us. And certainly, he can reveal himself without our help. Thankfully, we are sometimes allowed to be a part.
The first day we were there, we helped with food distribution. I put my camp WalMart-run skills to use by running through WalMart as if on Supermarket Sweep to get fill a few carts full of food (because of a mix up, we had run out). Once the WalMart van got back, I helped people get food and take it to their vehicles. Two of the ladies I spoke with told me about their ministries. They didn't use the word "ministry," but that's what they were doing. They told me of their hearts for children and elderly folks and explained to me what they did to make a difference in the lives of those they know.
The next day we went to a small church service. Half of our team nearly outnumbered the members present, but I saw from their calendar that low numbers did not limit their caring for the community around them. They had several listings for Angel Food distribution, among a few other community-wide events.
We went to a "holler" to love on some kids that afternoon. We got to see these rough-and-tumble kids joyfully greet the Big Creek Missions (the organization we worked with) staff who love on them year-round. They loved us automatically because the Big Creek staff brought us and the Big Creek staff loved them.
Monday, we went to an adult daycare center to play games with the residents. Our youngest team members, Lillie Cate (3) and Nora Blake (2) enjoyed the activities as much as the residents and showed them Jesus by not realizing the differences between themselves and those at the center.
Later, we worked at a clothing distribution center helping out a lady named Drucie. Let me tell you, Drucie was a big surprise. She retired from being a hairdresser, but read Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and determined not to waste her retirement. She took over the clothing distribution center and began taking mission trips to Haiti. Her goal is to open up a soup kitchen and an orphanage in Haiti and I believe she'll do it. She sat and talked with us for a while before the center opened. She is extremely well-read--she discussed both Piper and R. C. Sproul with us. At one point she said some people wait around for a calling, but "it's not a calling; it's a command!" Love it.
During all of this, I was a part of a team that included preschoolers through grandparents. There were people from all stages and walks of life, serving alongside each other. I should also mention that during the days, half of our team did construction work, while the other half did the activities described above. I love that God used both ability and availability in our team. Some people were able to use the skills and gifts they already had, while others learned new things as they simply made themselves available for God's work.
So, while God graciously allowed me to be a part of the work he's doing in Appalachia, I became very aware that I was far from being needed.
This mission trip showed me the Church. Young and older, across cultures, serving side-by-side to show God's love to those who need it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
It's Bed Blog Monday! Sweet Sleep
This was supposed to publish yesterday. Through some technical error it didn't publish yesterday. We can just pretend this happened on the day it was supposed to and also we'll count it as a Thing I Like, because I do. (See second-to-last sentence).
I love my bed. Seriously, some days I feel like I could just stay in it all day. It's cozy and warm and soft. My bed isn't even that great, comparatively. It's a bed that I got at a discount furniture store and the second-cheapest mattress set available at Sam's Club. I don't have Egyptian cotton sheets, just some discounted ones I bought at a kiosk in the mall.
Earlier this year, I spent a night without my bed, without any bed, outside. I had a tent and a sleeping bag and some sort of inflatable yoga-mat type thing the backpacker in the group had brought along. I was miserable. I don't consider myself high maintenance, but I did not enjoy that night. I was cold and uncomfortable. I wanted to be in my bed.
The next morning, during my inner-dialogue rant about how awful my night had been, the thought occurred to me that I was not the only one who didn't rest easy that night. There were children around the world, orphaned, cold, and without a bed. They have never known the comfort of my cheap mattress and sheets, but the misery of my cold night on the ground is a reality they know too well.
An organization that works to help these children is Sweet Sleep, whose motto is "A bed for every head." They provide beds for orphans in countries around the world. They build sturdy bunk beds that will last many years and outfit them with blankets and mosquito nets. They want kids to have a good night's sleep and the ability to have pleasant dreams. And for some kids, having a bed and mosquito net is literally life saving.
Orphans in many countries have no choice but to sleep in beds that are broken, bug-infested, or soiled, if they have beds at all. For these children, this can mean being susceptible to disease, bone and joint trauma, and even learning problems. Sleeping without mosquito nets can mean exposure to malaria.
Sweet Sleep has been able to provide more than 3,000 beds for children in Moldova, Uganda, and Haiti. Right now, Sweet Sleep is partnering with the American Refugee Committee (ARC) to help hundreds of thousands of children living in child-headed households in the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps in northern Uganda. Sweet Sleep provides children returning to their home villages each with a bed, a mosquito net, and a Bible. These three simple items have greatly helped the children transfer from the camps to their villages. Many were reluctant to leave the camps, because they have lived there so long, but once they saw that children were receiving beds, nets, and Bibles, they were lining up to leave!
Sweet Sleep has a special need for the month of November--they need money for 700 beds, nets, and Bibles for Gulu, Uganda. Each resettlement kit--including a straw mat, mattress, blanket, mosquito net, and Bible--is just $50. Thanks to some friends of Sweet Sleep, any gifts given toward this project in October will be matched 100%! Today is Bed Blog Monday (not a real holiday), a blog campaign to raise awareness about this organization and specifically the Gulu project, so I thought I'd blog about it, too. I like Sweet Sleep because they are taking one simple thing that is often overlooked--a bed--and using it to share Christ's love with kids. To find out more about their work and the Gulu project, go to their website http://www.sweetsleep.org/ or their blog sweetsleep.blogspot.com.
I love my bed. Seriously, some days I feel like I could just stay in it all day. It's cozy and warm and soft. My bed isn't even that great, comparatively. It's a bed that I got at a discount furniture store and the second-cheapest mattress set available at Sam's Club. I don't have Egyptian cotton sheets, just some discounted ones I bought at a kiosk in the mall.
Earlier this year, I spent a night without my bed, without any bed, outside. I had a tent and a sleeping bag and some sort of inflatable yoga-mat type thing the backpacker in the group had brought along. I was miserable. I don't consider myself high maintenance, but I did not enjoy that night. I was cold and uncomfortable. I wanted to be in my bed.
The next morning, during my inner-dialogue rant about how awful my night had been, the thought occurred to me that I was not the only one who didn't rest easy that night. There were children around the world, orphaned, cold, and without a bed. They have never known the comfort of my cheap mattress and sheets, but the misery of my cold night on the ground is a reality they know too well.
An organization that works to help these children is Sweet Sleep, whose motto is "A bed for every head." They provide beds for orphans in countries around the world. They build sturdy bunk beds that will last many years and outfit them with blankets and mosquito nets. They want kids to have a good night's sleep and the ability to have pleasant dreams. And for some kids, having a bed and mosquito net is literally life saving.
Orphans in many countries have no choice but to sleep in beds that are broken, bug-infested, or soiled, if they have beds at all. For these children, this can mean being susceptible to disease, bone and joint trauma, and even learning problems. Sleeping without mosquito nets can mean exposure to malaria.
Sweet Sleep has been able to provide more than 3,000 beds for children in Moldova, Uganda, and Haiti. Right now, Sweet Sleep is partnering with the American Refugee Committee (ARC) to help hundreds of thousands of children living in child-headed households in the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps in northern Uganda. Sweet Sleep provides children returning to their home villages each with a bed, a mosquito net, and a Bible. These three simple items have greatly helped the children transfer from the camps to their villages. Many were reluctant to leave the camps, because they have lived there so long, but once they saw that children were receiving beds, nets, and Bibles, they were lining up to leave!
Sweet Sleep has a special need for the month of November--they need money for 700 beds, nets, and Bibles for Gulu, Uganda. Each resettlement kit--including a straw mat, mattress, blanket, mosquito net, and Bible--is just $50. Thanks to some friends of Sweet Sleep, any gifts given toward this project in October will be matched 100%! Today is Bed Blog Monday (not a real holiday), a blog campaign to raise awareness about this organization and specifically the Gulu project, so I thought I'd blog about it, too. I like Sweet Sleep because they are taking one simple thing that is often overlooked--a bed--and using it to share Christ's love with kids. To find out more about their work and the Gulu project, go to their website http://www.sweetsleep.org/ or their blog sweetsleep.blogspot.com.
Friday, October 8, 2010
indecisive
The last three years of my life have been one huge indecisive moment. It's easy to see. My conversations, with family, friends, and God, are always opposing the last conversation I had. I'll declare one day that I'm going to do XYZ and the very next day, or two days later, I'll say that XYZ is not at all my plan; ABC is my new life goal.
It's exhausting and frustrating not being able to decide. I would like to be decisive. Why can't I just make a decision?
The reason is because I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll make the wrong decision. I'm afraid people will be mad about the decision I do make. I'm afraid I will regret the decision.
[To be completely honest, I'm not sure exactly where I was going with all of that. I think this is really just a precursor to a heart-on-the-table post that will happen as soon as I figure out a way to make the 5+ pages of a stream-of-consciousness email to a dear friend coherent and post-able.]
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Television
We're a couple of weeks into the new television season, so I thought I'd post about what I'm watching. Because, years from now, when my kids find this post through some much better version of Google, possibly embedded in their heads, I want them to know that I watched the originals of what they're watching in rerun form. Okay, that's not the real reason. I only made that up because I felt I needed a reason to tell you about the things I watch, but really, I don't. It's my blog. You can leave at any time. (please don't. I like having you here.)
One thing I must say: according to my mother, I watch too much TV. I know. It's kind of a social thing.
Here it goes:
The Event--I mainly started watching this one because I heard it was going to be the new Lost, and I kind of missed the boat on that one. It's got me hooked...for now. Plus, my co-workers all watch it, so we talk about it around the water cooler (aka the Receptionists' desk).
Glee--Y'all, I don't know about this season. That Brittney Spears episode was not even good. I think the writers are out of ideas on how to incorporate songs into every day life. Are Rogers and Hammerstein still around? Maybe they could help. Sue Sylvester and Brittany S. Pierce still make me laugh out loud, though.
Running Wilde--I'm giving this one three more episodes. So far, not so impressed.
Parenthood--This is one of my favorites. It's real. It has made me think, cry, and laugh out loud.
Modern Family--So funny.
Community, 30 Rock, The Office--Also funny.
Grey's Anatomy--I almost gave up on this show. It wasn't so great for a while, but it's made a comeback in my book. I have definitely wanted to cry in several episodes. And the friendship between Merideth and Christina I love. There may be a whole post someday on just that. Oh, and I really like the writing. It may not be super realistic, but those characters sure do make some terrific speeches.
So there you have it. I would ask if there are any shows I don't watch that I should, but I really don't want to know. I already watch too much.
One thing I must say: according to my mother, I watch too much TV. I know. It's kind of a social thing.
Here it goes:
The Event--I mainly started watching this one because I heard it was going to be the new Lost, and I kind of missed the boat on that one. It's got me hooked...for now. Plus, my co-workers all watch it, so we talk about it around the water cooler (aka the Receptionists' desk).
Glee--Y'all, I don't know about this season. That Brittney Spears episode was not even good. I think the writers are out of ideas on how to incorporate songs into every day life. Are Rogers and Hammerstein still around? Maybe they could help. Sue Sylvester and Brittany S. Pierce still make me laugh out loud, though.
Running Wilde--I'm giving this one three more episodes. So far, not so impressed.
Parenthood--This is one of my favorites. It's real. It has made me think, cry, and laugh out loud.
Modern Family--So funny.
Community, 30 Rock, The Office--Also funny.
Grey's Anatomy--I almost gave up on this show. It wasn't so great for a while, but it's made a comeback in my book. I have definitely wanted to cry in several episodes. And the friendship between Merideth and Christina I love. There may be a whole post someday on just that. Oh, and I really like the writing. It may not be super realistic, but those characters sure do make some terrific speeches.
So there you have it. I would ask if there are any shows I don't watch that I should, but I really don't want to know. I already watch too much.
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