::sigh.of.relief::

I’m on a mini vacation….no work….little stress….time to relax….

But most importantly, I’m spending time with my very best friends!

I WILL SING

I’m exhausted today.

But,
“I will sing of Your mercy that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy.”

W O R L D // W A T E R // D A Y.

This Saturday, March 22nd is World Water Day!

In 1992, the UN General Assembly designated March 22 as “World Water Day” to draw international attention to the critical lack of clean, safe drinking water worldwide. More than 1 billion people around the world lack clean, safe drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services.

When as little as $1 can provide a year of water for an African , for instance, it’s clear that everyone has something to offer. We believe that if we can rally this nation to care about this issue, we will see a dramatic decline in the water crisis. Through Blood:Water Mission, we have already seen transformation in hundreds of communities in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s an amazing privilege to enter into the lives and struggles of friends an ocean away.

As Dan Haseltine says, “a huge body of water has kept us apart from Africa, but water is also the very thing that can connect us.”

Go to theWorld Water Day’s Website to learn more about events near you, including the Walk for Water in cities across America (as well as a virtual walk).

New Music Wednesday Proves Fruitful.

About once a month or once every other month (usually coinciding with the arrival of the latest Relevant Magazine), I spend a couple hours browsing myspace, purevolume, and/or virb for new music. Sometimes this works better than others. But for the most part, I find some awesome stuff.

Well today I hit the jackpot. On one of my very first searches, I found The Shanghai Restoration Project. This is pure genius. It is a combination of hip hop, jazz, and traditional Chinese instruments. Its AMAZING! It’s all I have been listening to all night. In fact, I listened to it and put American Idol on mute. That’s how awesome it is.

The musical genius behind the Shanghai Restoration Project is Dave Liang.

http://www.purevolume.com/theshanghairestorationproject

http://www.virb.com/shanghairestorationproject

http://www.myspace.com/shanghairestorationproject

I love David Archuleta.

He’s amazing. With the exception of last week, he has had really awesome performances.

My two favorites are:

IMAGINE

LONG AND WINDING ROAD

a long way gone…

I am currently reading this memoir, written by former child soldier Ishmael Beah, during the civil war in Sierra Leone. It is a beautifully written account of this boy’s struggle to live on his own in a war torn country. There are have been many things in this book, many images, which have bothered me. After all, this is an account of the incredibly unjust things that happened to him as a child, and then the incredibly unjust things he did in returned as a brainwashed child soldier. The one scene that was hardest for me to get through was when he and a few other soldiers captured some rebels at a nearby village, made them dig their own graves in the mud and then buried them alive. It was disturbing and uncomfortable. It made me angry. It made me cry out for mercy and justice. It moved me.

I wouldn’t recommend this book as one you might read for entertainment. I don’t think I’d even recommend the books as one you might read simply for awareness. I say that because I don’t think you’ll be able to put the book down and not be moved to take steps to make this stop. Proceed with caution, what you will read here will change your life.

I pretty much peed my pants.

GO HERE.