Music Therapy

This is kind of funny. I was listening to just some random music while I was writing and a song came on that I haven’t heard in a while—“My Stupid Mouth” by John Mayer. As I was listening to this song, it really began to ring more true to how I’ve felt the past two weeks. I started laughing when I was listening to it. Has anyone ever noticed that music has a tendency to speak to you in whatever situation you’re going through? More specifically, if you’re infatuated w/ someone at the time, you start to notice all the songs you hear are ones that are more happy and wishful. If you’re going through a time where you’re missing someone/thing, you hear songs that speak of the yearning feeling for the future or the comforting memories of the past. If you’re feeling depressed, you hear songs that speak about heartbreak, loneliness, a sort of pessimistic optimism, or maybe even death. And all of these categories can be mixed and matched to fit each other in their own weird way and somehow will have songs to go along w/ them. Maybe its bc I’m a music nut that I notice these things, but I have also noticed I can tell it in other people. Is this done on purpose (by us)? Well, of course many times it's bc we put in the cds that speak to our situation and join in w/ the singer to rejoice or lament about our current emotional state, and not just talk about it, but sing it.....very loudly. However, I also had instances where I have bought new cds and they are all about what I’m going through. I know it’s a bit stupid to think about this kind of stuff sometimes and much of it can be very well argued to be things that are being way too over analyzed, but hey, you’re looking at (figuratively) Johnny-Over-Analyzer. Anyways, I think most of the time it’s not so much what we listen to, but what we are hearing. We want to hear those songs that speak to our situations in order that—like I stated earlier—we don’t feel alone in them since we are joining in w/ the singer who seems to best understand us at the time.

Anyone have any thoughts or theories as to how and why music is so therapeutic? I’d love to hear anyone’s input, so please feel free to holla at ya boy on the comment thingamabobber right below. You don’t even have to be a fellow blogspot blogger to post a comment, so go ahead and let me (and everyone else who reads this, which probably isn’t a whole heap of people) know what you’re thinking! Blessings be w/ you all!

The Art of Compilation CD Making

So I'm pretty excited about my new creation of the '05 Summer CD. Back in '03, I made a the infamous "Hot '03 Summer CD" for me and a bunch of my boys at Camp McCall--the Royal Ambassador camp I worked at in the upstate of SC for 3 summers. It was a mix of songs that had memories tied to them from random road trips, riding up and down downtown Greenville's "strip" belting at the top of our lungs songs such as Boyz II Men "End of the Road," Another Bad Creation "Iesha" and "Playground," LFO "Summer Girls," and Marc Cohn "Walking in Memphis" to name a few. To say the least, it was a huge hit and all of us still listen to it to this day and are taken back to wonderful memories of the summers we spent together making the biggest fools out of ourselves that anyone could make. Anyway, a bunch of us have been keeping up w/ each other through fantasy baseball that started last year. The message board is the biggest thing we care about except that we love to talk all kinds of trash to each other w/ regards to the standings in the league and what not. I know I keep running off on small tangents here, but just a little background wouldn't hurt. Ok, so one of my friends suggested that we should all start putting in ideas/requests for a new summer cd that I could "make myself useful and create for the whole league" and then mail them out to everyone. Now, it is only my friend Andy who is out here w/ me in Waco and everyone else is back in South Carolina. However, I did not have to think twice about this!

(no reason for a new paragraph except I just felt the other one was getting long and it would look better if I started a new one)

I am only positively sure about a few things in life, but one thing I have always been sure about all my life is that God has instilled w/in me a passion for making all kinds of different compilation cds for all different purposes. And, on top of that, he has indeed blessed me w/ the ability to comprehend at a young age the subtle, yet complex and crucial art of making a good compilation cds. I have a couple of roommates that have also been blessed w/ this gift and it is always great to discuss certain cds that we are making for a certain occassion or a certain someone. It's all about flow, transitions, and using other people's poetry to speak for you in a way that can make a grown man cry. It may seem inane to some people, but for me, I thank God everyday that he blessed me in this way. Maybe another time I'll elaborate on all this even more, but I'm sure all who are reading this and have been specially picked by God to share in this beautiful art ability already understand what I'm talking about.

This '05 Summer CD is special in that it is a double cd. While I've been working on the cds, God spoke to me in a vision about what the names of the cds should be. Here is the account: As I was thinking of a name for Summer CD pt. 1, God revealed to me in a vision what appeared like a golden cd glowing in all its majesty and inscribed on it were 2 pictures: 1) a man dressed in an apron of great splendor w/ tools of immaculate stainless steel and ladies of the highest calibur and measurements walking around as if God had willed them to be too sexy and to display his grace in the aquatic habitat that continuously glistens from their bodies, and 2) a very relaxed man, as if he had truly come to know what God intended summer to be, lying in a hammock w/ sunglasses on, a drink beside him w/ the most refreshing condensation droplets forming on the outside of the glass adorned w/ an umbrella of tiny (yet crucial) stature, a lady (refer to above description), and a faithful dog beside him for company. When mine eyes fell upon these pictures, a voice sounding like a double-edged Kanife, yet as soft as a kitten, whispered the words, "grillin'...chillin'..." Therefore, on this day I proclaim to you that I have been to the mountaintop and mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord and the summer cd he has called me to produce and willed to be named "Grillin' n' Chillin'." So it is, and so it shall be, as God has commanded and according to his divine will...

So, there it is. The first cd is one that is truly chill and is perfect for summer grill-outs, light competitve physical activities (during such grill-outs or picnics), on the beach, etc. The second cd is one that is filled w/ songs of memories of yore (80s and 90s, some current) that should not be sung below the yelling decibel. Oh yeah, and the name of the second cd is "Top Down at the Top of Your Lungs." Well, that's all I got right now and I need to go to bed so I can do well on my New Testament Greek Test tomorrow morning! Holla up at JC for me around 9am (cst)!

I hope all who reads this has a great day and may God bless the world!

To Love

I've been reading the book "Walking on Water" by Madeleine L'Engle lately and have really been enjoying her 'Reflections on Faith and Art' (subtitle). I wanted to share a quote from her book in the chapter called "Names and Labels:"

"To love anyone is to hope in him always. From the moment at which we begin to judge anyone, to limit our confidence in him, from the moment at which we identify [pigeon-hole] him, and so reduce him to that, we cease to love him, and he ceases to be able to become better. We must dare to love in a world that does not know how to love."

May we allow the love of Christ overflow so greatly from all that we do, say, and don't do and say, that everyone we come in contact w/ will feel this love and want to know the source of it. As Madeleine further states,

"We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want w/ all their hearts to know the source of it."

Don't you hate it when someone said first what you wanted to be quoted as saying?! Well, no harm done and I ain't got nothin' but love for ya Madeleine!

May everyone who reads this be encouraged and filled w/ the love of Christ and have a wonderful day!

My First Post

Well, this is my inauguration post to my new blog. I have been posting from my xanga site at www.xanga.com/MyCarolinaEyes, but due many friends of mine have been encouraging me to join blogspot instead--mainly bc you can post pictures for free on here.

So, here I am with my new blog that I will try to post on fairly regularly. I'm still trying to figure out all the mechanics of blogspot and am working on the look and feel of it. Sorry for the first post not having any substance, but soon enough I'll get everything worked out the way I like it and the posting shall begin.

May God bless the world!