There's A New World Coming

New World Coming
Sung by "Mama" Cass Elliott

There's a New World Coming
And it's just around the bend
There's a new world coming
This one's coming to an end

There's a new voice calling
You can hear it if you try
And it's growing stronger
With each day that passes by

There's a brand new morning
Rising clear and sweet and free
There's a new day dawning
That belongs to you and me

Yes a new world's coming
The one we've had visions of
Coming in peace, coming in joy, coming in love.

Show Me What I'm Looking For

Show Me What I'm Looking For
by Carolina Liar



Wait, I’m wrong.
Should have done better than this.
Please, I’ll be strong.
I’m finding it hard to resist.
So show me what I’m looking for.

CHORUS
Save me, I’m lost
Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you.
I’ll pay any cost.
Save me from being confused.
Show me what I’m looking for,
Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.

Don’t let go.
I’ve wanted this far too long.
Mistakes become regrets.
I’ve learned to love abuse.
Please show me what I’m looking for.

CHORUS
Save me, I’m lost.
Oh Lord, I’ve been waiting for you.
I’ll pay any cost.
Save me from being confused.
Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.

Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for.

CHORUS
Save me, I’m lost.
Oh lord, I’ve been waiting for you.
I’ll pay any cost.
Just save me from being confused.
Wait, I’m wrong.
I can’t do better than this.
I’ll pay any cost.
Save me from being confused.
Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for.
Show me what I’m looking for…oh, Lord.

What God Gave Me Today

In the midst of the current storm of my life, God keeps whispering sweet hope to my heart.

As insubstantial as the source of this hope may seem on its face, a song I heard for the first time today by (of all people) Miley Cyrus proved yet again to me that our Lord will do what He must to touch our lives, if we only let Him in.

I'm also starting to see that I can't let my life be about all those things I do not or cannot have; I want it to be about how--in spite of everything--truly blessed I am that God loves me enough to send me encouragement from the four corners of the world, and to have so many dear, precious friends who selflessly hold me up in prayer...and just plain hold me up when I don't even feel like I have the strength to stand at all.

Today, God gave me this...

The song is called The Climb and below is Miley's video.



Some of the lyrics that especially touched me today:

]I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb.

P.S. Thank you, God.

Did I Say How Much I Love Matt Alber???

Well, I do!

Such a beautiful voice, and so, so, so, so gay! :-)

The song is Monarch from his album, Hide Nothing.

Don't Tell Me Who To Love (Part 2)

The Ray Boltz song, Don’t Tell Me Who To Love, the video in the previous post, starts with this historical reference:

The year was 1966 and they were wearing their wedding bands.
She was black and he was white and some people didn’t understand.
The judge said that’s not legal, the preacher called it a sin,
But they couldn’t stop them cause he loved her and she loved him

Not only is this a beautiful & touching song, it’s also a lyrical re-telling of actual events, to wit:

In 1958, Virginia residents, Mildred Jeter & Richard Loving left the state of their residence, which prohibited interracial marriages, and were married in Washington, DC. After they were married they came back to their home state.

As unbelievable as it may sound, once the Lovings came back to Virginia a group of local policeman entered their home hoping to find them engaged in a sexual act! Although they had a valid marriage license issued to them by the District of Columbia & had even posted on the wall in their home, they were both arrested, and the marriage certificate was used as evidence against them! In January 1959, the Lovings pleaded guilty to “miscegenation” (the name of the so-called crime back then of interracial marriage), which was, in many states, a felony. In Virginia, it was punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

Having pleaded guilty, the "kindly" judge told them that he would suspend the one year prison sentence for up to 25 years if they would leave Virginia altogether. In 1963, the couple moved to Washington, DC. There the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit on behalf of the Lovings to vacate (overturn) the judge’s ruling, and to invalidate the state law under which they were prosecuted.

It took 4 more years before the case was heard in the Highest Court in the Land, but on June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in case 388 U.S. 1, more commonly known as Loving vs. Virginia, unanimously ruled that the Lovings were improperly prosecuted & had been deprived of their 14th Amendment right to due process and equal protection, therefore, reversing their conviction.

In striking down the Virginia law, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

I am sure that there were people back then who absolutely hated this Supreme Court decision & who fought tooth & nail to keep interracial marriage from becoming reality. These racial purists no doubt lamented “activist judges”, the same as the anti-gay activists do today. What those folks didn’t get back then & what those today who oppose my equality even now don’t get is that, fragile as it can be sometimes, you can’t stop a heart from doing what hearts do: Love. You can preach against it 'til you’re blue in the face & you can make laws designed to hamper it & to even try to kill it, but love is not ethereal & it outlasts all else. Jesus’s greatest commandment was that we love one another as He loves us. His people should no more be about denying love than they should be about denying Him.

I’ve said it before, but I really do believe that our opponents—those who want to deny me a legally-recognized family—truly have no idea who & what they’re fighting. This isn’t just some political issue to me, THIS IS MY LIFE. Nothing in the temporal realm could possibly mean more to me. They can whip up fear & scream their lies until our Lord finally comes to take us home, but—-if I have anything to say about it--they will never know one moment’s peace in their Spiritual War Without End as long as they keep insisting that I am undeserving of the right that they so often take for granted: to have their government recognize & honor their decision to make a legal bond with the person whom they love.

Tragically, Richard Loving died in a car accident in 1975, but Mildred, his wife, in 2007, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Loving vs. Virginia prepared a statement about the historic court case which bears her name & the cause for which she fought.

In the last paragraphs of her statement, Mrs. Loving lovingly wrote:

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about.

Mildred Loving died less than a year later, on May 2, 2008, but the cause for which she & her husband so bravely fought still burns in the hearts of those of us who never even knew them. Times & laws & even people may change, but love is always love; that's why I truly have no doubt that, as the last line in Ray's song goes, "...love is gonna make it in the end."

¡Viva La Vida!

So, I recently discovered the group Coldplay's song, "Viva La Vida", and while I am not a huge follower of the group, I must say that I really like this song. It's got a catchy tune that I am still humming!

Hope you enjoy it, too!

Lyrics:

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

Hear Jerusalem bells are ringings
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

You'll Never Change Things

"Not only is another world possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."
Arundhati Roy, Indian writer & activist

I have long been a fan of Garth Brooks. Obviously he's been blessed with a beautiful singing voice, but if you've ever seen a concert of his, you know he does nothing half way. He packs a lot of bang for the concert-goers buck, for sure!

One of my favorite songs from one of my most favorite singers is "The Change". I have included the video & lyrics below. Garth came out with this song shortly after the horrific 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in his home state of Oklahoma in which 168 men, women & children lost their lives. Most of the scenes in this video are from actual news footage filmed that day.

"The Change" makes such a simple yet profound statement. In the midst of the morass in which the world seems to be engulfed now, it's sometimes hard to think that one person can make things better. Even if you try, the myriad voices around you seem to do all they can to convince you that, as Garth sings, "It's like trying to stop a fire with the moisture from a kiss". From my own personal experience, it's easy to be discouraged when you see that so much has gone undone & so much harm needs mitigating. You couldn't be blamed for succumbing to the naysayers & sinking into the "every man (or woman) for him(her)self".

But Garth's song hits the nail on the head. I believe that every small work any of us does to help another or every burden we help to make lighter for someone else probably won't change the planet. That's just the truth. When we give of ourselves in whatever way we may be able, maybe we're not doing it with the expectation of bringing great change to a weary world in desperate need of change. Maybe, in the most unselfish sense, we do it for ourselves. Maybe it helps to remind us that we're not really cynics after all. Maybe those good deeds (great & small) serve to prove to ourselves that, in spite of all that divides & separates us, we are all still interconnected. Maybe we have underestimated the value & the power of the human touch where those in need are concerned. Maybe some good deeds don't always get punished. Maybe what appears to one person to be but a small act of kindness has the potential to change the life--or least the day--of the person on the receiving end of that kindness. Maybe giving or doing what we can is our own personal way of keeping alive for yet another day the radical inside that dares to dream the biggest dreams & to hope for something more. Maybe, as Garth sings so beautifully in this song, we really "do this so this world will know that it will not change" us.

Maybe it's true. Maybe it's not meant for me or you to change the whole world, but I firmly believe that we can change our little corner of it!

Lyrics
One hand
Reaches out
And pulls a lost soul from harm
While a thousand more go unspoken for
They say, "What good have you done,
By saving just this one?
It's like whispering a prayer
In the fury of a storm."

And I hear them saying, "You'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing,"
But it's not the world that I am changing.
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me.

This heart
Still believes
That love and mercy still exist
While all the hatreds rage and so many say
That love is all but pointless in madness such as this
It's like trying to stop a fire
With the moisture from a kiss.

And I hear them saying, "You'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing,"
But it's not the world that I am changing.
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me.

As long as one heart still holds on,
Then hope is never really gone.

I hear them saying "You'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing,"
But it's not the world that I am changing.
I do this so this world we know
Never changes me.

What I do is so
This world will know
That it will not change me.

Who I Am

For some reason, I woke up this morning humming this song! I hadn't heard it in a while, so I'm not sure what made me think of it, but it's a sweet little song.

Each time I've heard this song, I've been impressed that someone as obviously young as this singer, Jessica Andrews, has such a firm knowledge of herself. It must come from a lifetime of being loved for who she is & being encouraged to "be all that she can be". Some of us, probably at least twice Jessica's age, are still wandering & wondering & still searching for "Who I Am".

Make Your Own Kind of Music

I love me some Mama Cass! From 1969, one of my most favorite songs...

Lost

This is Michael Bublé's latest song, Lost. I'd heard the song a couple of times, but it's the first time I've seen the video for it. Beautiful song from a man who has a beautiful voice. It even has a beautiful message for all of us..."when you feel like you're done, and the darkness has won, babe, you're not lost..."

Lyrics:

I can’t believe it’s over
I watched the whole thing fall
And I never saw the writing that was on the wall
If I’d only knew
The days were slipping past
That the good things never last
That you were crying

Summer turned to winter
And the snow it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognized the girl you are today
And god I hope it’s not too late
It’s not too late
‘Cause you are not alone
I’m always there with you
And we’ll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
‘Cause when you feel like you’re done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you’re not lost
When your worlds crashing down
And you can’t bear the thought
I said, babe, you’re not lost

Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you’ve gone crazy
But you’re not
Things have seem to changed
There’s one thing that’s still the same
In my heart you have remained
And we can fly fly fly away

‘Cause you are not alone
And I am there with you
And we’ll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
‘Cause when you feel like you’re done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you’re not lost
When the worlds crashing down
And you can not bear the cross
I said, baby, you’re not lost
I said, baby, you’re not lost
I said, baby, you’re not lost
I said, baby, you’re not lost

Darkness finds its way to The Sunshine State

Got this email from Equality Florida today about the anti-marriage rights amendment which will appear on the ballot in Florida this November.

Here's the text of the email, if you're interested:

The day we expected has finally arrived.

A few hours ago, the Florida Department of Elections officially certified the deceptive "marriage protection amendment" to be on the November ballot.

Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? No.

After 4 years of signature gathering, the only surprise is how narrowly they reached the deadline.

Those pushing this onto the ballot hope to strip away rights from all unmarried Floridians by stoking anti-gay sentiments. Some of them are motivated by a desire to impose their particular religious beliefs on people through the Constitution. Others see this as tactic to help far right candidates in the November Presidential election. What this isn't about is "gay marriage".

Two state laws and a court decision already block access to marriage for gay couples in Florida. Now, this amendment would close the door to civil unions and any meaningful domestic partnership benefits for all unmarried Floridians - gay and straight.

Beyond the legal obstacles to taking care of our loved ones, this amendment is intended to deliver a dangerous symbolic blow by denigrating the lives of gay Floridians. It is the singling out, the idea that the majority should vote on the rights and the humanity of fellow citizens that makes today's news a particular and personal insult. And it is why in the wake of these amendment battles across the country, we consistently see an increase in anti-gay hate crimes.

I hope we give ourselves just a moment to grieve that this has been forced upon us. To feel the hurt , sadness and anger that are appropriate ways to feel in the wake of this news.

Knowing, intellectually, that we must face this challenge is one thing. Having it finally arrive in all its ugly spitefulness is another. It was difficult not to hold onto a glimmer of hope Florida would avoid this fight especially as the far right struggled to meet the deadline.

But now is the time to take a deep breath and allow that false hope to transform into the deep resolve to DO THE WORK that will DEFEAT this measure.

And we can DEFEAT it. Opposition to the amendment is broad, diverse and growing everyday. We stand with the NAACP, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, Florida Consumer Alliance, Planned Parenthood, and more than 200 other civil rights, union, campus, faith, senior and social justice organizations who are part of the Fairness for All Families Coalition working to DEFEAT this amendment.

Polling shows we are within striking distance of beating this amendment if we are willing to do the work. Talk to your circle of influence, step outside your comfort zones and engage the people in your neighborhoods and the places where you shop.

Our job is to bring this message to millions of voters in Florida who are unaware and ill-informed about this measure. And experience has shown us our conversations matter. On Jan 29th, Equality Florida members were part of the Fairness for All Families Primary Day of Action that drew more than 500 volunteers out to talk to voters at polling places across the state.

Seasoned activist and first-time volunteers reported back with excitement how often a quick conversation had persuaded someone to vote NO on the amendment.

In November, your friends, family and co-workers will go to the polls and decide whether our families will be denied adequate protections, whether essential benefits can be stripped away and whether anti-gay political attacks are a good investment for the far right.

It is time for all of us to do something. Here's a good place to start: Sign the Pledge to Vote No and personally recruit 5 of your friends to do likewise. If everyone on this list did that today we would have nearly half a million more supporters by Monday.

We can't allow the people in our lives to go to the polls in November and make decisions about us without ensuring they hear the truth about this amendment and the harm it would inflict.

Working together we can DEFEAT this amendment.

Sincerely,
Nadine Smith
Executive Director
Equality Florida

Religion Kills

I doubt that anyone who knows me would call me "religious." As a matter of fact, considering how it was Religion that very nearly killed me, I can honestly say that I truly cannot abide Religion. That's why I always make a distinction between Religion and faith. They are not the same thing...not to me.

Religion is what "they" own.

Religion is what "they" use to fill "their" coffers.

Religion is the horrible weapon "they" wield when, as the good Christian Soldiers that they are, "they" seek to destroy the ungodly.

Religion is what "they" hide behind as "they" keep as many undesirables away from God as "they" can.

As my new t-shirt from Jay Bakker's Revolution Church states, "Religion Kills". Faith, to me, is the anti-Religion.


I take pride in the fact that I am not a religious person & that I do not usually wear my faith on my sleeve. I prefer to live my faith & to let it shine in the way I try to treat others. For me, faith speaks so much louder in actions than in words.

In a rare exception to the aforementioned sleeve-wearing policy & while in the midst of recalling my life since that day I gave my heart to God, I was reminded of a song I had heard a while back. Through the miracle of YouTube, I listened to it again today, after not having heard it for a while & it brought me to tears again.

I guess I needed a reminder.

What Sin?
by Morgan Cryar
From the album, Love Over Gold

It happened so long ago
And I cried out for mercy back then
I plead the blood of Jesus
Begged him to forgive my sin
But I still can't forget it
It just won't go away
So I wept again, "Lord wash my sin,"
But this is all He'd say

CHORUS

What sin, what sin?
Well that's as far away as the east is from the west
What sin, what sin?
It was gone the very minute you confessed
Buried in the sea of forgetfulness

The heaviest thing you'll carry
Is a load of guilt and shame
You were never meant to bear them
So let them go in Jesus name
Our God is slow to anger
Quick to forgive our sin
So let Him put them under the blood
Don't bring them up again
Cause He'll just say

REPEAT CHORUS

Lord, please deliver me from my accusing memory
Nothing makes me weak this way,
Then when I hear you say

She-e-e-e-e-ery Baby?!?!?

Talking about going from (as near to) sublime (as I get) with my last post to the ridiculous (we were talking about that, right?!?!), I found a website called Pop Culture Madness (http://www.popculturemadness.com/), which allows you to find your date of birth & then see what the #1 song in the U.S. was at that time, according to Billboard Magazine. Since it's a "pop culture" website, I am assuming it's the #1 Pop song when you were born.*

To find the info for date you were born, when you go to the website, scroll about halfway down the page & on the far left, simply click on the link that reads, "[the decade you were born] Billboard #1 Hits," and then on that decade's page, choose the year & then the time frame you were born, and voilà!

Since I was born on October 17, 1962, I went to the "60s Billboard # 1 Hits," chose 1962 & then I found the timeframe where I was born (September 15 - October 19) and discovered that the #1 song at that time was "Sherry" by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

I have to say that I was not exactly thrilled to find out this info! To me (and since this is my blog, it really is all about me, right?!?!) "Sherry" is simply a stupid song. It's basically mindless palaver consisting of the words "Sherry, Sherry, baby, can you come out tonight?" repeated ad nauseum until you can't take it anymore & you are forced to switch off the Hi-Fi if you haven't broken your hand after putting your fist through the wall!

I guess, for trivia purposes, it's good to know, but I am MUCH more impressed with the #1 song from the time frame just after I was born, October 20 - November 2, 1962: "Monster Mash" by Bobby, Boris, Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers! Now that's what the kids call a hella-cool song!

Anyway, if you get a chance to read this post & you find the #1 song in the U.S. of A. when you were born, please share with the class!

Hope your song is a little more substantial and interesting than mine was! :-/

*The writer of this post can make no claims, in any way, shape or form, as to the accuracy of the information, claims and/or statements found on the Pop Culture Madness website and/or on any websites linked to said website which reader may subsequently explore. Writer is absolved of any liability which may ensue by any information appearing in aforementioned website(s). Void where prohibited, taxed or otherwise restricted by law. No cash value.