courage

You NEED to drink this in.

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You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
And they settle ‘neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

Everybody’s been there, everybody’s been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Innocence, your history of silence
Won’t do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you

“Totally like whatever, you know?”

/ upsidedownbethlehem / 2 Comments

 

Totally like whatever, you know? 
By Taylor Mali 
www.taylormali.com

In case you hadn’t noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences – so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not –
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It’s like what I’ve heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I’m just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we’ve just gotten to the point where it’s just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we’ve become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

 

 

The Reformation Manifesto

/ upsidedownbethlehem / 1 Comment

 

Today I read 214 pages. An entire book. Just ask the Sacramento River, my reading buddy for most of it. My feet in the river’s heart, my heart warmed via my cold feet in its chilly water. My heart electric with passion for the nations – particularly one nation: Iraq. I’d wanted to read The Reformation Manifesto by Cindy Jacobs for about a year, but over the last few days the want became undefiable. Today I set off to work on my book, the one I am writing, but the metaphorical key was not working in the lock. I could not stop thinking about this other book. I was famished for some vision-casting for nation-building. Thus, I opted to look for The Reformation Manifesto at Barnes & Noble, no avail; next stop: Bethel Church’s bookstore. FOUND. While there I got to jumpstart someone’s car, fun! I love people.

Keep Hoping, Saint Francis

/ upsidedownbethlehem / Leave a comment

Tomorrow I am going to San Francisco, California to see a friend visiting from England. As my river-y thoughts slide the city’s streets in my memory, this song ripples through my spirit. I adore San Francisco, partially because I was born 44 miles beyond its fingertips and grew up with it as a convenient day trip location dotted in street performers, cable cars, and the ocean. San Francisco is full of gold and glory. It will flourish and know its KING!!!!! Yay!

Also, this song is great inspiration for prophetic songs for OTHER cities. Maybe you should write one for yours. If you do, let me know because I collect prophetic songs for cities and nations. I love vision for cities and nations. <More, GOD!>

Here are some songs by my friend Steve: http://highway19.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/prophetic-songs/

Meanwhile, hop into the hope boat and enjoy this one:

Long live invincibility! / God is ALWAYS with you

/ upsidedownbethlehem / Leave a comment

Go ahead, do the impossible. Take a stand. Believe God will stand with you. He will. And the hilarious bit is, not only will your courage be beautiful, but it may well lead entire nations into friendship with God. It happened that way for Daniel and his three friends. His three friends went into the fire rather than bow to an idol; and lo-and-behold Jesus showed up with them in the fire AND the whole nation began to consider this God truly was the one true God. (See the Old Testament book of Daniel chapter 3)

A friend recently asked me if I am afraid to live in a war zone, specifically in Iraq. I said, “No. I expect to have invincibility like Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego in the fire. Not only did they survive, but Jesus showed up and the whole nation thought it might be a great idea to follow the true God. That’s what I expect – the whole nation to fall in love with Jesus.”

“Oh, okay. You do know that happened in Babylon, modern Iraq?” my friend queried.

“Yes. haha. I am well aware,” I replied.


Long live invincibility! (pun intended)

PIONEER (song by Rick Pino)

/ upsidedownbethlehem / Leave a comment

I heard this song for the first time yesterday and it was like eating Ritz crackers as a six year old with a tummy ache:
calming, strengthening, and reassuring.

And so to all who are called to blaze new trails through thick terrain, take heart. The reason your journey is irresistible is YOU WERE BORN FOR THIS. The world needs you to take your place in history and in the future.

You can do it! And with great glory, you will. The world awaits the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.

As a friend recently wrote,

“Cynicism is the language of cowards – always think the worst, you’ll never be disappointed.

It takes courage to have hope.”

And as the psalmist wrote, “I would have despaired, but I know I will see God’s goodness here on earth” (Psalm 27:13)

HAVE HOPE!!!!!!!!!

Jesus is the HOPE of the nations. How can we not have hope when the embodiment of hope lives inside us?

Make that new path. Pave that road. Believe change is possible. Believe Jesus. Generations to come will be grateful you did.