Road Trip Playlist 2014 #7

Review of June 11...

What a fun day with Pastor Brent checking out some of the Los Angeles sights along the Pacific coast--the sightseeing part was nice but what made the day fantastic was just taking the time to connect with a pastor whose ministry resonates with so much of our past ministry.  Sharing witan Culver City Church of God was a blessing too--we thought they may be eager to get out of there after 45 min, but they were so curious and asked such good questions that everyone stayed engaged for more than twice that.

Well, while I was loving the Los Angeles visit, my pore wife & kids were stuck trying to get home to Alabama.  The Air France flight into Atlanta was delayed, causing them to miss their connection, and then they couldn't get worked into a flight until this morning.  I still haven't gotten to talk to them and I hope they were able to get some rest (and some airline perks) after the long ordeal.

And now, I woke up at 5 am and hit the road early to escape the LA traffic and to get me going on this long trip to Phoenix.  LA was so love and cool, but now I'm headed back to the desert and heat.  Time to turn on the playlist and see what song represents and inspires the day...

Disclaimer: 

The views, opinions, antics, and behavior of <insert artist name here>

or those same represented within their song <insert song title here>

or of their record label, affiliates, or any other fan base

are NOT necessarily the views, opinions, antics or behavior of the Oldham Family,

Three Worlds, Church of God Ministries, Church of God doctrine,

or any other related Christian or organization;

it's merely a song, on a blog post, 

so read the rest of the post to find out what strange meaning Ken is drawing from it. :)

and now..., continuing with the 2014 Playlist...

Working with teens and young adults for the last 20 years, we have been privileged to see some amazing talents.  Some incorrectly think that the "greats" have experience on their side--but that's not necessarily true.  Sometimes, there is amazing talent, wisdom, skill, and expertise in the younger generations just waiting for an opportunity to amaze.  I don't know much about today's artist except that when the raspy feminine voice of Lorde hit the airwaves, no one anticipated it was coming from a 17-year old.  

In her song, "Team," she has a line that says, "I'm kind of over gettin told to throw my hands up in the air, so there..."  That's a throwback reference to my generation's hip-hop-club-scenes where a DJ/MC would say something like, "Throw your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care" (ala Outkast among others).  

Is Lorde stating through this lyric that at 17 she's outgrown the "party and rave like you just don't care" mentality?

I don't know--but if she was, it wouldn't be that surprising.  We have seen and continue to see young people who are living selflessly, not just hoping to make the world a better place one day, they've begun to create a better world now.  Fund-raising, inventing, raising awareness--they are taking a stand against injustice, inequality, poverty, lack of resources, waste, environmental issues, human trafficking, and more--they are leading beyond their years.

And they have a greater "team" mentality than we had in previous generations.  They're not tackling the worlds problems from religious roots, national patriotism, or any other small ideal--they're finding ways to spread the message and partnering across borders, across languages, across cultures--they're tackling the world's problems as world citizens.

Today, I'm driving into Phoenix to join Heart for Lebanon Board Members for a few days of holding this incredible ministry accountable and to offer wisdom where requested.  Founder and CEO Camille Melki has an amazing organization at the front of the Syrian refugee crisis in the country that has the highest refugee ratio on the planet; networking and partnering with churches and other aid organizations, they are living out their vision of being the compassionate heart of Jesus to each one they serve.  It's great to walk alongside of each of their young leaders, and their more experienced counterparts, to making their part of the world a better place.