This reminds me of a radio program I heard that discussed singers in Christian churches who aren't Christians. The concept that a person could sing wonderful songs to God and yet not believe in him at its core is a mix of ignorance and blasphemy. It's like someone singing "Amazing Grace" who doesn't believe in grace or a rock star who promotes debauchery and yet praises God at the awards shows (I guess they're probably referencing that they started singing in church). What is also sad is there are probably a good number of people in Christian bands that probably don't believe in God or aren't living for him too.

Somewhere in the past the arts separated from Christianity, which is terribly ironic (The danger of course is to worship the art rather than the Creator). God gives humans the ability to create beautiful things and yet many people deny his existence and refuse to worship him with their art. The strange thing about it is that God's beauty and truth can emerge from the artwork of people who are anti-Christian. It's strange because the art is like a branch cut off from a tree. It's not connected to anything, but you still know it came from a tree.

Christians often talk about "taking back the arts" because non-Christians have monopolized many aspects of art. There are Christians who seem to believe that art can glorify God even when he's not explicitly in the artwork itself. Everyone has their opinions and I don't think you should dictate to people how they do their art. Rather we should realize that the whole earth is God's and his creative ability is the source of our ability to knit, cook, draw, paint, sing, write and make art, regardless of whether the activity itself is considered spiritual (every activity in life is spiritual, people just tend to compartmentalize). Not every piece of art has to be explicitly about God. However, if we believe everything we do is unto the glory of God and if he is the center of our existence, then God's Spirit will have no choice but to escape into the things we create.

This weekend I climbed aboard a time machine and went back to the days my british European History professor stutters about for an hour and a half every tuesday and thursday. I didn't have the corset wrapped tightly around my body like I have the years before but I felt beautiful when the sun reflected off the blue in my eyes and messy haired musicians offered to play me a song. 

The first day I went with my brown eyed prince charming, southern grandparents, and strawberry blonde tater tot. She plugger her ears when the parade of Lords and Ladies came by. Sometimes this world is way too loud. You bought me a scented metal rose and I'm glad it wasn't real because now it will last forever. The five of us watched a joust and refrained from smacking the loud mouthed boy in front of us who kept telling everyone that they stank. I bought jewelry I didn't need and got an ugly Henna tattoo and laughed when you said you wished you were wearing a costume. You might be my knight in shining armor, but I could never see you in tights.

That night we were too tired for all the chaos on our pretty little campus. We curled up together and watched football until we fell asleep. The next morning I promised to be cleaner while we picked up crushed cereal from your carpet and made a pile of my clothes in the corner of your room. I am one giant natural disaster but you love me anyways. After your room was returned to its normal college boy perfection I put on my cowgirl boots and waited for a black car to pull up in front of my dorm. My sister was waiting for me and with her hair that dark her eyes look even bluer. We sang girly songs until we got to the festival and watched our five year old diva ride wooden attractions run by dirty men with missing teethe. We ate caramel apples sent from heaven itself and regretted all that sugary sweetness when we were done. We laughed until we were all tired and knew it was time to go back to the future.

Oh, what a name that is!  Jesus!  Jesus!  I praise You Lord!  Jesus!  Jesus!  Hallelujah!  Sweet Jesus!

Oh, my tears are of joy!  Thank you God for Your Son!  Jesus!  Jesus!  Save me O God!  Jesus!  Jesus!  Help me dear God!  O Jesus!  Jesus!  I love You!  I need You!  I want You!  Help me!  Save me!  O Jesus!

The sound of Your name brings comfort to my soul!  Jesus!  Jesus!  Jesus!  O Jesus!  The sound of the name Jesus!  Yeshua!  O Mighty God!  Jesus!

But say the word, and my servant will be healed (Luke 7:7).  There is power in Your Holy Word.  Your Holy Word can make us whole.  O Jesus!  Jesus!  Do not forget me O God!  Mighty God!  Father of Abraham!  Forgeive me of all my sins!  My trangressions!  Please dear God!  Help me with my double mindedness during this turbulent time in my life!  Forgive me O God and help me to pass this test!  I want to pass it!  I need to pass it!  I want to be made whole again!  Make me whole!  Make me whole!

O Jesus!  O Jesus!  King Jesus!  My sweet Lord and Savior!  I love You God!  I love You!  I love You for who You are!  You are God!  You are the One True God!  Praise Him!  Praise Him!  If man does not praise You, You can cause the rocks to bow down and praise You!  Every knee will sing glory to You at the mention of Your name!  Thank you God!  I will praise You!  I will sing praises to You!  I will dance in Your courts and wave my hands in holy praise!  Yes, Lord I will praise You!

You are worthy of all praise my Holy God! -- Amen.

I want to see what people saw
I want to feel like I felt before
I want to see the kingdom come
I want to feel forever young
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I belong
I want to live 
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
So where's the stars?
Up in the sky
And what's the moon?
A big balloon
We'll never know unless we grow
There's so much world outside the door
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I'll be strong
I want to live
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
And if we turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
Turn, turn, turn, turn
Turn, turn, turn
And if we turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
Learn to turn

So Sunday morning, I woke up feeling fine.  I didn't have a hangover or anything after all the alcohol.  Crazy.  I spent the day at the pub watching football.  The ex and I were talking over text about nothing.  We were back to being like we were in the beginning, and I thought everything was going great.  I was hitting on a girl I know and having fun again.  I decided I should probably start thinking about my thesis again.  Then I drank more instead.  Still, every thing was going great.  In a little over a week, I was so much better off than I had been, it was amazing.

Monday was about the same.  I went to class and watched a movie, talked to Jamie and Emily a lot.  I was back to work on Fat Camp.  The ex and I were still talking about nothing.  I could tell she was annoyed at the fact that other girls were writing on my facebook wall, but you know what, FUCK IT.  She dumped me.  I'm moving on.  I went to dinner with a beautiful girl and a good friend -- no, not like that, unfortunately. :)  After that, I hung out for a few more shots and then went back to the library.

Tuesday I spent the day at the library and going to class.  I slept in until about 1:00 in the afternoon, but that's not overly unusual for me.  I spent a lot of time on facebook, chatting with people.  I was asked on a date.  I said yes, but told her it would need to wait a week.  I did some drinking, but not a ton.  I was starting to feel a lot better.  Emily asked if I wanted to meet her in Lincoln for the weekend, and I told her I wasn't positive.  Still, I thought it could be fun. 

Wednesday, I was having a great day, until I got the stupidest message I've ever gotten on facebook.  The ex is obsessed with personality tests.  Emily had posted her personality type on wall one day, and apparently her type and my type are "natural partners."  It seemed pretty blatantly "you should be with Emily," which she's been trying to convince me for a while, even though she thinks all of my friends like emily are skinny, blonde, sororitutes who can't compete with her.  More or less, it's just her way of getting rid of me.  So we get into it over this stupid fucking message and I simply asked if she thought I was dating emily. She got totally pissed and wouldn't talk to me.  I tried to call her and she told me she didn't want to talk to me anymore.  Fucking amazing, really.  I can't say I even begin to understand what the fuck her problem is.  She dumped me.  I'm dating.  SHE'S DATING.  She's got the man she wanted to be with more than me, so she should just get off my fucking ass and go be happy.  He fits mommy and daddy's perfect little view of how things should be.  I don't.  The girls I surround myself with have more in common with me than she ever did.  I don't have to try to change who I am to make them happy.  I don't have to hide my time with them.  I don't have to worry that someone might see us hold hands.  I can put a pic of me and my friends on facebook without worrying about the backlash of "what if my parents see?" 

Sorry, didn't mean to rant there.

All I'm saying is this:  RECOVERY COMPLETE.  Although that probably doesn't mean what you think it does.

Am I over her?  No.

Part of me will always love her.  I've been infatuated with her for four fucking years.  I used to watch her sing and go home and smile to myself replaying the whole concert in my head.  I know what she was wearing the first time I saw her.  I know the foods she ordered on a lot of our dates.  I know the look she gets when she's dreaming.  I will never forget the smile on her face the first thing in the morning when she'd wake up and see me there.  I will probably always remember how she feels inside.  I can still hear the words "I love you" as she'd bite  my ear.  I remember so much and I will always treasure all of that.

At the same time, I remember the hurt and the pain.  I remember the first time she broke up with me and how fucking pissed off I got.  I remember all the nights she'd get drunk and say horrible things to me.  I remember every time she'd lie to me and think I didn't know.  I remember the first time she couldn't look me in the eye while talking about her friends in DSM.  I remember her birthday, when we were broken up but had sex like 18 times in 3 days.  How she kept telling me she loved me and wanted to have my babies, but then would tell me that it was never going to work and we shouldn't be together. 

The days after she told me she wanted to be with him were about recovery, but not about the kind of recovery where everything is healed.  They were about finding myself.  They were about accepting the truth.  They were about realizing I didn't have to bow down to her and not tell anyone that we had been together.  They were about realizing that there are WOMEN out there who want relationships, who want to have a shot at forever, who don't hold it against me that I have a past, because they understand that we all do.  Women who may hurt me just as much down the road, but who won't set out from the beginning knowing it's the only possible option. 

I will never fully get over her any more than my knee has ever fully healed from being dislocated three times.  I will inevitably meet someone, and I will fall again, and it might be the same or better or worse.  There will be days when I look back at what we had in anger and days when I look back and smile knowing that I had the opportunity to date one of the best friends I had ever had (until we started dating).  There will be days I might wonder how her life turned out or where she is now or whatever.  And there will be days I will lament the loss of what we shared. 

Still, I am better.  I have realized it was unhealthy.  I have realized it wasn't the love I imagined it to be.  I crashed and I burned, but in the ashes, I recovered and I will fly again.  It probably won't be tomorrow, but now I realize that it could be.

A group of 5- to 12-year-old children in Venice, California, is writing and singing songs promoting Barack Obama's presidential campaign and his familiar messages of "hope" and "change." Some critics say the adults behind the "Sing for Change" choir are indoctrinating the young children involved.

Donning blue T-shirts bearing the phrase "Imagine Hope," the group of 22 children recently recorded songs that repeat Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" slogan and declare, in a religious tone, that the Democratic presidential nominee is going to "change the world" and "spread happiness and freedom." A video of the presentation is posted on YouTube and was produced by several Hollywood film industry professionals.

Bob Knight, director of the Culture and Media Institute, believes people in Hollywood are convinced Barack Obama is the "messiah" for America.

Read the whole thing.

Heads up to Josh for putting it together... ever wondered what was the No 1 song on the day of your birth or any other special date?

Hmm there are some seriously odd ones out there making me wonder just who was listening to them, who made them NO1's??? Ok, you'll see what I mean. 

Click through on the month of your birthday then on the date followed by the year - if you want to share copy the song they say and paste it down below.. come on it's a laugh!

Me? "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey [watch the video its a classic PLUS the person who created it was SF... destiny!!!]

The universe obviously knows that I LOVE to dance!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Dare ya to share!

P.S. A e HOMOSEXUAL, asta noapte sarea pe mine. Mai animalule!

First, here is the vid

The video is set up to look like a spontaneous grass roots movement event at a "neighbors" house, but it is pure AstroTurf...  pure.

If you are not familiar with the term AstroTurf, when used in a political setting it means fake grassroots.  Something that is set up and professionally managed to look like it is a grassroots or spontaneous movement...  but, once again, it is really artificial and professional.

When watching the video, the first thing I noticed was the quality of the picture and the steady swoop in to the little girl.  Seemed like pretty damn good camera work to me...  too damn good to be some neighborhood bullshit.

And then I noticed the microphones...  those are professional quality studio mics...  and expensive as hell.  These are not home studio mics.  PROFESSIONAL.

So, I decided to do some digging,  and guess what I found...  AstroTurf.

Here is the statement from the website:

Sing for Change was a confluence of hard work, good will, and shared vision. Inspired by ideas raised at a grassroots Obama fundraiser, a music teacher, Kathy Sawada, and the children composed and rehearsed the songs in less than two weeks. Several musicians heard of the effort and volunteered to accompany the children. Parents and older siblings designed and provided the T-Shirts and the banner. There's a first for everything, but rarely do so many firsts come together at once: for the children and their parents, this is their first performance, first video, first banner, and first involvement with grassroots work on a presidential campaign.

Ok, so there is the grassroots claim...  yeah.  ok.

Oh, then there comes this:

Production wizards got wind of the project and offered their help in recording it. The likes of Jeff Zucker, Holly Schiffer, Peter Rosenfeld, Darin Moran, Jean Martin, Andy Blumenthal, and Nick Phoenix rearranged schedules to participate. Holly Schiffer was able to get three High Definition cameras (Panasonic HVX250's), and an AVID editing facility. When Jeff Zucker went to pick up the camera package, Ted Schilowitz happened to be there and offered a RED camera set up on a Steadi Cam.

You're friggin kidding me, right?  Jeff Zucker "got wind" of a little neighborhood music teacher's little neighborhood grassroots project?

In case you don't know...  I will explain who these people are.

*  Jeff Zucker is FRIGGIN President and Chief Executive Officer of NBC Universal!!!!!!!!!!!

*  Peter Rosenfeld is a camera operator/steadicam specialist with over 15 years in the biz and specializes in documentary film making.

*  Darin Moran was the camera operator on films like The New World, Disturbia, Lemony Snickets, Rendition, and The Kingdom...  serious friggin movies!

*  Nick Phoenix "has either scored or licensed music for the ad campaigns of over 1000 major motion pictures. "Wall-E", "Speed Racer", "Indiana Jones 4" "The Hulk", "Prince Caspian", The Happening", "Hellboy 2", "Spiderman 3", "Golden Compass", "The Assassination of Jesse James", "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", "Babel", "Hitman", "I Am Legend", "300", "No Country For Old Men", "Harry Potter 5", "The Brave One", "Blood Diamond", and "Night at the Museum" are a few recent examples."  Holy Crap...  That's like every single movie released in the last two years?

*  Ted Schilowitz is an award winning Director and Producer who has created projects for Discovery Channel, E! Entertainment, Nickelodeon, Fox, NBC, PBS, etc.

And do you have any idea how expensive those cameras are?  Holy God.

You gotta be kidding, right?  Grassroots?

Answer me this...  how grassroots is a video made by people that could very well work together to make the next $100 million Tom Cruise action flick?

This is such crap.  Astroturf at it's finest.

Way to go Dave and Barry

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. 

Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.  For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work:  I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

 O Lord how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever;

But thou Lord, art most high for evermore. 

For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn:  I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked  that rise up against me.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

To  shew that the Lord is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.                                                                                                            

                                                                                                         King David 

Honestly I wouldn't care if they were singing about Obama, McCain, Barr, or Nader. you shouldn't exploit your children to the nation to benefit your thoughts and desires.

I can't believe the day I've had.  I hope the rest of October is not this way.  I'm heading to Maya's for karaoke and a lot of alcohol.  I may even get drunk enough to sing...  but I doubt it.

My tendency 
For dependency
Is offending me
It's upending me
I'm pretending see
To be strong and free
From my dependency
It's warping me

So much love
So rare to dare
Afraid of
Ever being there
Take me home
I need repair
Take me please
To anywhere

Descend all the way all the way

Descended from
Demented men
Struggle with
The art of Zen
Please don't look
Too close at me
You might not like
What you see

Chorus

Night craving
Sends me crawling
Beg for mercy 
Does it show
A vacancy
That's full of holes
Hold me please
I'm feeling cold

Chorus

Chorus :
Descend all the way all the way
Everyday
Warped and scared
Of being there
Of being there

I'm just going to say a nighttime prayer (I wish that word wasn't so associated with churches and bibles) to this infinitely supplied universe, full of things that are healing and nurturing and fulfilling. Heirloom tomato pizza, suprise path crossings with old friends, singing(!), Ani DiFranco's new album, the nighttime that is serenading me with crickets.

For the majority of you with whom I've lagged in contact, here's an update in five minutes or less:

• I've moved 12 times since July.
• I'm luxuriously perched atop a Big Sur ridge in one place for a whole month, as of Saturday.
• I went to Colorado for 10 days and saw changing Aspens and old friends.  I love Colorado, changing Aspens and old friends.  I saw my cat and three ex's.
• I'm teaching myself how to play guitar with "Guitar for Dummies".  I know 16 chords and am very, very proud of myself.
• I'm single for the first time in 10 years.
• I'm taking a three month Zen class with Cheri Huber remotely, using conference calls and e-mails.  My assignment: do something that a) nourishes my heart and spirit and b) will earn me $500 in three months.  I think this is scary and implausable and fantastic.
• The neighborhood skunk just waddled by the open door and gratefully decided against coming in for another cat food feast and four hour nap under my bed.

I'm back!

[gallery]

Fotos [Fuente]

There is a spirit of fear and paranoia.  There are as many as a million North Koreans are being held in gulags for political prisoners.

But none of that matters.  North Koreans still live under the yoke of propaganda devoted entirely to the personality cult of Kim Jung Il.  He is revered as "Dear Leader" among his people, who can know nothing but what they are taught to know.  A picture of Dear Leader is prominently displayed in every building and every home.  Some even worship him.

I remember when the last real famine hit North Korea.  Dianne Sawyer was able to visit this black hole of human misery.  The world - and particularly the United States - provided food aid.  But the packages of food were swiftly re-labeled, and guess who the people gratefully bowed their heads to and humbly thanked for their sustenance?

I imagine that many North Korean children sing praises to their Dear Leader.

And many children are singing the praises of our Dear Leader, as well.

“We’re gonna spread happiness! We’re gonna spread freeeeedom! Obama's gonna change it, Obama's gonna lead 'em…”

There are whole choirs of exploited five and six year olds singing Obama's praises.

We used to view government as providing for the common defense, building infrastructure, and staying out of the peoples' way as much as possible.  Not any more.  Now government's job - as epitomized in the person of our Dear Leader Barack Obama - is to bring us happiness.

Our children used to be taught that it was the Truth - as epitomized by Jesus Christ the Son of God - that gave us freedom (John 8:31-36).  Now children sing the praises of a new and very different messiah.

Watching children sing the praises of Barack Obama just creeps me out on a viceral level.  Because I remember when I was a child.  Somehow, I was never encouraged - even once - to ever sing the praises of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, or even the great Ronald Reagan.  Somehow that's different now.  Something frightening has happened.

I look at this glassy-eyed little girl singing about how happiness and freedom are somehow bound up in the person of Barack Hussein Obama, and I wonder: what if he loses the election?  Is happiness and freedom dead?

May God protect us as the same sort of Stalinist media that dominates North Korea begins to dominate our culture as well, and as the same cult of personality that has taken over there begins to take over here, as well.

UPDATE: Is this Jeff Zucker the Jeff Zucker?

"A thing may be too sad to be believed or too wicked to be believed or too good to be believed; but it cannot be too absurd to be believed in this planet of frogs and elephants, of crocodiles and cuttle-fish."

-G. K. Chesterton

The heart is a bloom, shoots up through stony ground
But there's no room, no space to rent in this town
You're out of luck and the reason that you had to care,
The traffic is stuck and you're not moving anywhere.
You thought you’d found a friend to take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand in return for grace

It's a beautiful day,
the sky falls And you feel like 
it's a beautiful day,
Don’t let it get away

You’re on the road but you’ve got no destination
You’re in the mud, in the maze of her imagination
You love this town even if that doesn’t ring true
You’ve been all over and it’s been all over you

It's a beautiful day,
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day,

Touch me, take me to that other place
Teach me love, I know I’m not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out

It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
A beautiful day

Touch me, take me to that other place
Reach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case

What you don’t have you don’t need it now
What you don’t know you can feel it somehow
What you don’t have you don’t need it now
You don’t need it now

GARISSA, Kenya, September 29 (Compass Direct News) – A longstanding effort to replace a church with a mosque in Kenya’s northern town of Garissa culminated in an attack by 50 Muslim youths this month that left the worship building in ruins.

The gang stormed the building of Redeemed Gospel Church on Sept. 14 and pelted the congregation with stones, sending many Christians fleeing while others became embroiled in fistfights. Ten Christians received hospital treatment for minor injuries and were released.

Church leaders said the Muslim mob also destroyed pews, damaged the church building’s walls of corrugated iron, smashed the glass-mounted pulpit and burned the church banner with its stand.

“We had just started the Sunday service when, without warning, a rowdy group of about 50 Muslim youths invaded the church, pelting stones at us and destroying our structures,” said the church youth chairman, identified only as Suma.

Local media reported that the 10 church members were hospitalized, but a district nurse at the hospital told Compass that no one was admitted due to the violence. A church elder at East Africa Pentecostal Church in Garissa, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) from Nairobi, confirmed that the church members were treated at the hospital and allowed to go home.

Tensions between Christians and the Muslim-majority population in the semi-desert town of 20,000 people began simmering after Muslims built a mosque next to the church plot at No. 21 Windsor in June 2007. Purchasing its land on Nov. 1, 1999, the church had begun worshipping there by early 2001, eventually growing to 400 members.

Church leaders complained to the district commissioner in June 2007 that the new mosque was built too close to the church – only three meters separate the two structures – and that it was blocking the church entryway.

“Prior to that, the owner of that land had promised to use half of it and sell the other half to the church,” the church leaders reported to the district commissioner in June 2007. “But in 2007, she changed her mind and gave it to the sheikhs to build the mosque. We reported the matter to the DC’s office that it would not go well with the church.”

Officials had ruled that no further permanent structures were to be set up on the land by either party until a later date to be determined by the district commissioner.

“The church faithfully obeyed, but the Muslims defied the orders and began immediately to put up a permanent structure,” according to the letter church leaders wrote to the district commissioner. The building of the mosque was allegedly sponsored by M.K. Roble, a wealthy Muslim in Garissa, according to the letter.

“The problems between the church and the Muslims began and have escalated since then,” it states.

Government security intelligence had reported that Muslims planned to destroy the church if it continued to operate within the residential area, District Commissioner (DC) Alois Okango told Compass. The administration had proposed a new site for the church to worship, Jamhuri Club, but two days before the attack church leaders wrote two letters to Okango saying they would remain worshipping in their building.

“We would like to notify you that our church members have decided to have our Sunday service at our usual place on September 14 and not at the new site of Jamhuri Club,” they wrote in one of the letters, “because we have come to realize that the new site is only temporary, and we will only move out of our premise if we are guaranteed a permanent place of worship.”

Okango told Compass that to avert a crisis, the administration has decided that the church should relocate temporarily to a site near an agricultural showground. The government also advised the church to sell its property near the mosque and buy another piece of land, preferably outside Garissa town center.

This suggestion, Okango told Compass, did not augur well with church members, who felt they had already established the church at the site and that it was the mosque that should be moving.

“The Christians threatened to go and worship in the ruined premises if no action was taken,” Okango said. “They said they were ready to die for the sake of their faith.”

The government is striving to avert further incidents by preventing the Christians from returning to the ruined structure, according to a Provincial Police official identified only as Chelimo. With tensions expected to rise during the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, he said police were taking precautionary measures to ensure that the congregation never returned to their property.

“To allow this would be suicidal,” Chelimo told Compass. “We have deployed five security guards every day to make sure that the members of the church will not enter its structure.”

Elusive Justice

Wondering why those who attacked the church had not been arrested and charged in court, Redeemed Gospel Church pastor David Matolo said the government should punish the assailants.

“The church has the right to be protected by the government – allowing the minority Christians to suffer is quite wrong,” Pastor Matolo told Compass. “Why should the Muslims interfere with the church’s worship? I as their pastor cannot shy away when my members are ill-treated. We are ready to pay the price, but we want justice to be done.”

He said church leaders had agreed on an alternative site only to have the district commissioner suddenly revoke it.

“The DC had promised to locate us to the provincial residential area, and we had cleared the said site, only to be stopped without prior notice,” Pastor Matolo said. “Now we have no place to worship.”

A missionary from Tanzania who works in the area informed Compass that Muslims have distributed leaflets threatening to destroy all churches in Garissa. They have also threatened to burn Garissa’s open-air market operated by Christians from “down Kenya,” that is, non-Muslims, he said.

The missionary said the safety of the more than 2,000 Christians in Garissa is in jeopardy, and he appealed to the government to protect the right of worship of all people.

“It is quite unfair that the Redeemed Gospel Church has been displaced and is now praying under a tree in an open space with no amenities,” he said.

District Commissioner Okango said that the administration must protect Muslims from the noise of worship emanating from church at night that has disturbed residents, as well as prevent clashes. In both the mosque and church, loud speakers had been set up facing each other with confrontational messages blaring from each.

“The government is sensitive to the feelings of the people,” Okango said. “We cannot allow disorder to reign in North Eastern Province in the name of religious patriotism.”

Land issues alone have not been responsible for tensions in the area. The Rev. Ibrahim Kamwaro, chairman of the Pastors’ Fellowship in Garissa, said Pastor Matolo had offended Muslims when he preached to a lame Muslim man.

Muslims were said to be upset that the pastor persuaded the disabled man to stop going to the mosque and instead join his church. Pastor Matolo’s alleged promise to the disabled man of a better life offended area Muslims, Rev. Kamwaro said.

Muslims restrict churches in Garissa in various ways: Christians are not allowed conduct prayers, sing or use musical instruments in rented homes owned by Muslims. No teaching of Christian Religious Education in schools is allowed; only Islamic Religious Knowledge is taught.

Garissa has more than 15 Christian denominations, the main ones being the East Africa Pentecostal Church, the Redeemed Gospel Church, the Anglican Church, Deliverance Church, the Full Gospel Churches of Kenya, the Africa Inland Church and African Christian Churches and schools.

Report from Compass Direct News

Nun zum Tag.
Ich war in Unna, um Bewerbungsfotos machen zu lassen, und ich muss sagen, dass ich schon darauf vorbereitet war nicht so gute Fotos zu erzielen aber das hat es weitaus untertroffen xD... Da meine Haare durch den Wind total durchgewuschelt waren, standen sie mir fürchterlich ab (was ich ja nicht sehen konnte) . Truly, I looked like a charwoman. Mit den Fotos kann ich mich höchstens als Putzfrau am BF Bewerben hahah... Ich bin nur froh, dass ich einen Gutschein verwendet hatte. Muss morgen wohl neue machen lassen.

In letzter zeit geschehen komische dinge, voralldingem in meinen Träumen. Zwei Tage hintereinander habe ich sogesehen die gleiche Story nur in verschiedenen Arten geträumt. Nicht zu vergessen, habe ich diesmal sogar Gesichter erkennen können. Ich habe die befürchtung, dass sich die Erbenisse meine eigen- Therapie zeigen lassen.

Denn ich lerne mich selbst zu verstehen. Ich habe mir oft etwas eingeredet oder einreden lassen. Die, die meine alten Blogs gelesen haben müssten mitbekommen haben, dass ich einfach anders als die meisten Mädchen bin ( so sehe ich mich jedenfalls ).

Wieso? Möglicherweise mag mein Äusserliches erscheinen etwas eingebildetes von mir geben, aber so bin ich nicht.

Eingebildet sein und sich Wohl fühlen sind dinge, die sich beißen. Pro und Contra, ich versuche mich eher Wohl zu fühlen, und nicht die Aufmerksamkeit zu erzielen.

Mich freut es eher im einzelfall angesprochen zu werden, auch wenn es nur eine " Entschuldigung, könnten sie mir helfen" frage oder nur ein kleines lächeln ist.

Aber der Punkt ist.

Weshalb ich meine Zeit viel am Computer verbracht habe war einfach, dass ich vieles auf einmal tun könnte. Klar gibt es momente/einzelfälle wo ich nur zuhöre oder zugucke, aber Fakt ist, dass ich immer etwas tun muss, ich brauche immer Abwechselung, mehr Informationen, mehr Themen usw. Manchmal komme ich selbst dabei etwas durcheinander. Manchmal wirkt es sich sogar ziemlich negativ aus, aber das werde ich in Zukunft in den griff kriegen.

keep your eyes peeled

Some solo performances as well

The sound guy who worked together with me for the concert..

The view from the sound console area..