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Miracle - Matisyahu Hanukkah Song

Here's a kind of poppy gem on Hanukkah from my favorite Orthodox Jewish Reggae Rapper from Brooklyn - Matisyahu.  The video is kind of cheesy on the surface - but dig a little & what emerges is a fun battle between faith & commercialization/secularization.  The hockey reference of course is a wonderful allusion to the miracle of the impossible . . .  Which of course references itself back to the miracle of the new emergence of reflective faith within a society crumbling beneath the weight of consumerism & greed. Good stuff.  Below are the lyrics . . . enjoy & Happy Hanukkah.

Just livin’ in the miracle, candles are my vehicle Eight nights, gonna shine invincible No longer be divisible, born through the struggle Keep on moving through all this hustle Head up, heads down through all of the bustle New York City wanna flex your muscle Look so down, look so puzzled Huddle ‘round your fire through all the rubble Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle Against all odds drive on till tomorrow Wipe away your tears and your sorrow Sunrise in the sky like an arrow No need to worry, no need to cry Light up your mind no longer be blind Him who searches will find Leave your problems behind you will shine like a fire in the sky what's the reason we’re alive – the reason we’re alive… Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle Eight is the number of infinity one more than what you know how to be And this is the light of festivity when your broken heart yearns to be free [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle

Homeless Veteran's Choir on America's Got Talent . . . It is worth the watch.

Okay . . . so I'm not a big fan of the tube that sucks our time & presence away from one another but this was sent to me today & I thought it powerful & beautiful enough to post.

Over the last year I've been meeting with & befriending a lot of homeless men & women - many of whom are veterans.  Many are addicts of one kind or another, some suffer from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), some have other mental diseases that completely sideline them into depression & eventual suicide attempts, and most all of them suffer from feelings & thoughts of utter unworthiness & guilt for past actions.

But when we enter into presence with one another as equals - recognizing the image of God in one another (whether we use those words or not) there is often a small shift in how we begin seeing the toothless, sun leathered skin men & women before us.  The question we must ask ourselves in the end - do we ultimately view strangers (especially the unattractive ones) as potential threats to our being & society or as potential allies & friends in a universe awash in love?

More thoughts on the homeless & marginal people later.  Be upended by this choir.

Songs for St. Patty's - (In the Name of the Love & With or Without You)

Things are changing . . .  

Be renewed today . . .

Inunexpectedways

Laughing With - Regina Spektor

another song worth the listen by the superb regina spektor . . . enjoy.

Sufjan Stevens - Casmir Pulaski Day (from the Illinois album)

Here's a beautifully crafted song by Sufjan Stevens - anytime a song finds a way of sneaking into my thoughts long after I've heard it - it is worth spreading the word . . . It is not as simple of a song as it sounds.  Anyhow you can read a good review of the album here.

Casmir Pulaski Day

Golden rod and the 4-H stone 
The things I brought you 
When I found out you had cancer of the bone 

Your father cried on the telephone 
And he drove his car to the Navy yard 
Just to prove that he was sorry 

In the morning through the window shade 
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade 
I could see what you were reading 

Oh the glory that the lord has made 
And the complications you could do without 
When I kissed you on the mouth 

Tuesday night at the bible study 
We lift our hands and pray over your body 
But nothing ever happens 

I remember at Michael's house 
In the living room when you kissed my neck 
And I almost touched your blouse 

In the morning at the top of the stairs 
When your father found out what we did that night 
And you told me you were scared 

Oh the glory when you ran outside 
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied 
And you told me not to follow you 

Sunday night when I cleaned the house 
I find the card where you wrote it out 
With the pictures of your mother 

On the floor at the great divide 
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied 
I am crying in the bathroom 

In the morning when you finally go 
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low 
And the cardinal hits the window 

In the morning in the winter shade 
On the first of March on the holiday 
I thought I saw you breathing 

Oh the glory that the lord has made 
And the complications when I see his face 
In the morning in the window 

Oh the glory when he took our place 
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face 
And he takes and he takes and he takes