JJ Heller - Holiday EP **FREE**

Indie artist JJ Heller is offering a free download of her Holiday EP, "Wake Up The World." It is only available until 12/31/09 so act now!

I can't say enough about JJ Heller's music. Her voice is so pure and innocent. She disarms you. Her smart lyrics sneak in under the radar. And this EP is no different.

The first track has a simple, worshipful tone. As of late, I haven't been able to make it through the first 30 seconds of a song like this, but she pulled me in. She calmed me before I could become defensive. She is one of the most genuine singer/songwriters I have ever heard. This is especially important in Christian music when the schmooze tends to drown out the sentiment.

Here are a few of her lyrics (which I love) but to get the full effect you definitely should listen to them.

Emmanuel
(an excerpt)

"Come, fall at His feet.
Won't you sing, sing to the King.
And go, tell everyone
Christ is born.

Glory fills the sky
as Mary sings a lullaby.
Emmanuel is born tonight.

Give all that you are
Follow the star
And leave all that you have
behind. ..."


In 40 seconds she paints a picture of the "Holy Family" that I have never encountered. She breathes new life into well-known lines: "let heaven and nature sing," "Son of God, love's pure light." I believe that adds to the comfortable, familiar feel of these songs. And perhaps that is why I instantly loved them: I've been singing them all my life, but now I can finally hear them.

The first two tracks on this EP were like the Polar Express for my ears. They made me believe in Christmas again.

Wake Up The World
(an excerpt)

"Shepherds come to worship
Angels sing Gloria
Wake up the world
The King has come

Joseph smiles at Mary
the baby falls asleep
Wake up the world
The King has come

So let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing
Oh let heaven, heaven and nature sing

Son of God, Love's pure light
Wake up the world, the King has come. ..."


It takes talent to reinvent the wheel as far as Christmas music is concerned, but JJ Heller does just that. Not only does she write new songs for Christmas that aren't terrible and schmoozy, but she adapts the familiar tunes. She has her own version of "We Three Kings" entitled "Star of Wonder." I don't particularly care for "We Three Kings," but Heller's, "Star of Wonder" brought it to life for me for the first time. Lines like "Through the fields and deserts they came/ Messiah was worth every mile" vividly revive the dusty image of the wise men that lingers in my mind.

The EP finishes with a light-hearted, spunky tune entitled, "Christmastime" about surviving the holiday gatherings with our families. This track reminds me a bit of Ingrid Michaelson and kept me smiling the whole way through.

Christmastime
(an excerpt)

"It's that time of year again
Station wagons pulling in
I can see it's gonna be
another Christmas to remember

Oh Christmastime, Oh Christmastime
We'll all be fine in a week or two

All the relatives are here
Grandpa and his Santa beard
How can it possibly already be December?
Wasn't it just July?
I was alone in my room
without a cousin in sight
So far the only one who's having fun
is the reindeer on my sweater
Does it get any better? ... "

Everything Sad is Coming Untrue by Jason Gray

I'm not one to wish away summer, especially since I live in Michigan where the gray winter days dominate for at least 6 months every year. However, I can't wait for September to arrive because that is when one of my favorite musicians, Jason Gray, releases his new album.

Jason Gray is a contemporary Christian recording artist, but to stop there is to sell him short. He is a poet of both word and rhythm. It's not his genre that is prominent, but his artistry. He is a deeply passionate musician with a lyrical integrity that is unmatched by many of today's popular artists. Where many water their songs down and sacrifice depth for repetitive hooks, Jason works that much harder to entice his listeners to dig a little deeper lyrically. His songs are thought provoking without a hint of melodrama. If Jason Gray is anything, he is genuine and he wants to tell you his story.

Jason has been on the road and in the studio for months honing his newest project currently titled "Everything Sad is Coming Untrue." He has a few sneak peak songs on his MySpace page for eager fans (like myself) who simply can't wait until the September 1st release date to hear what this poet has placed on the page.

Not only does the title track have a catchy intro that will make you listen up, but here is an example of the word web that Mr. Jason Gray weaves in "Everything Sad is Coming Untrue" :

"In the way the shadows hide
when the sun begins to rise
and in the way the world comes alive at the first hint of spring
The frozen rivers run,
The death of winter comes undone,
Whispers of kingdom come while the bluebird sings."


And that's only the beginning. But cold hard print doesn't do it justice, listen to this and other fantastic tracks on Jason's MySpace or Facebook .


He'll be adding new songs every week from here to September to keep us anticipating the release, so check back often. Personally, I can't wait for him to put up the Tom Waits cover that he recorded for this album.


Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/jasongraymusic

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasongray

And pre-order this album on his website: www.jasongraymusic.com

A Tall Glass of Inspiration

I was in Baltimore for the first time a couple weeks ago and was taken to a fabulous little tavern on the corner of S. Clinton and Fleet Street. It is called Annabel Lee after Edgar Allen Poe's last poem, "Annabel Lee."

Their website states, "We, on a daily basis, celebrate Edgar Allen Poe, Baltimore, and Maryland." I was astounded as soon as we walked in the door. A pub dedicated to a poet? Of course! Who knows more about booze than writers and bartenders? The wheels in my mind began to spin wildly as I saw what I could do with my passion for literature. Who would I dedicate my business to? What would it be? Another tavern? A coffee shop?

I was in fine tourist form as I snapped pictures of everything from my entree to my husband's beer glass. We were fortunate that evening to be in the presence of the proprietor, Kurt, and he spoke to us about his passion for Poe as we sat at the bar in sunbeams that were streaming through the windows. There were lines from "Annabel Lee" painted on the purple walls, along with Poe's portrait and lines from "The Fall of the House of Usher" which we learned was Kurt's favorite short story. He even had an armful of tattoos in honor of Poe.



I could barely concentrate on eating I was so geeked, but I managed to appreciate my dinner. They call their food "upscale comfort" and I for one felt very cozy as I devoured my plate of sweet potato fries. The chicken salad sandwich that accompanied them was crisp and fresh and enormous! But the bill was not. And for that I was also very appreciative.

It was neat to get a chance to talk with Kurt and get an idea of what a bit of passion and ingenuity can accomplish. I was inspired. I was so inspired, in fact, that the next day when we went to a book store on Rehoboth Beach I had to buy a collection of short stories that contained Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death."

I can't wait to get back to Baltimore because of its proximity to the ocean and because of the Annabel Lee Tavern. Next time we're there I hope to see E.A. Poe's grave and accompanying museum. I also hope to find an affordable apartment and a job because I love what I've seen of the city and we have to get out of Michigan.



Take a look at the Tavern's website: http://www.annabelleetavern.com/ and make sure you read "Annabel Lee."

Here's my favorite stanza:

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

Graduation

My undergraduate career is over. It's a strange feeling. I realized the other day that I have been in school for 75% of my lifetime which means I am bound for some sort of identity crisis when I finally realize that this is it. It may not hit me until late August when everyone is buying school supplies and I am headed to work. Hopefully. I'll probably make my way to a few office supply stores and pick up a new notepad or two for old time's sake. There's nothing like the first stroke of a new pen in a new notebook.

It's the little nerdy things like this that ensure me that I'll go to grad school. I'm a knowledge junkie. I thought it would be months before I picked up a book again, but I bought a collection of short stories today, and I have a box of books that I want to try to read this summer. We'll see if I get to them. As of now my goals are to get a tan and catch up on all the Grey's Anatomy episodes I missed while I was up all night writing papers.

Ed and I are on a post-graduation vacation right now with my Erin :) and our friend Liz--the coolest sophomore I know. We're staying with Erin's brother and sister-in-law and relaxing a bit before we jump right into the real world.

It has all been rather anticlimactic. The end was such a whirlwind that I have barely had time to process it all. I handed in my last paper at 12:00pm on Friday, worked at the coffee shop for the last time, received my honors and processed around the church, said goodbye to my friends, and walked across the stage on Saturday morning. It was all over in one 24-hour period. I'm still catching my breath.

Mainly, I'm trying not to regret my undergraduate experience. I don't believe in regrets. I think they are a waste of time. Everything you experience teaches you something. But that's tough to remember when I think about how I went to a small, conservative, private Christian college in southern Michigan and nearly every day since the beginning of my sophomore year I have second-guessed that decision. But I was locked in. The credits wouldn't completely transfer, I was getting decent scholarships, I had met Edward and I didn't want to leave him, and I had a couple close friends and a couple professors that I really didn't want to leave behind.

Now that all this is over and I'm facing astronomical loan debt (thanks Love) and a degree from a no-name no-clout nowhere university, I have to remind myself how different I would be without those people. By and large I hated the institution. I hated the way they tried to control every facet of my life and did not allow me to make my own decisions. I hated the way they focused on God more than academics and still claimed to be a university. I hated the way the sheltered little kids would walk to class barefoot and play nerf guns on the plaza outside the library.

But I love my husband. I love my friends (here is where I shout out to Erin, Monica, and my new-found Katie). I feel privileged to have learned from Brent Cline, Dennis Garn, Jen Letherer, and others. And I know that I have had opportunities in theatre and at the school paper that I would not have had at a larger university. When I get down about my debt and my future I think about those things.







It really hit home during the graduation ceremony while Abby and Dan were singing "How He Loves Us." I was fighting sleep and trying to listen to lyrics and I caught this line: "And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,/ I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,/ When I think about the way He loves us."

I am not a fan of most of the schmoozy Jesus stuff that goes on at Spring Arbor, but that lyric caught my attention. There are more productive things, more important things to dwell on. I am better for the people that I met at that hundred-thousand-dollar high school and I guess (though it pains me to admit it) if I could do it all again, I'd make many of the same decisions (though maybe I would have told Ed to drop out when I saw those loan totals getting higher and higher...)

The Power of a Song

^{photo by Steve Stout from www.rememberingharrychapin.com}

Harry Chapin made me love my name today. I'm certain my mother has played his song, "Corey's Coming" for me before, but it has been years, and I didn't quite remember it. One of my professors, Paul Patton, brought it up to me today and I decided I would check it out. The lyrics made me smile and warmed my heart. :) So, I know it's not about me, but it's exciting to hear your name in a song. Especially a nice song.

Chapin is such a storyteller. I watched the video on youtube and then, of course, I had to look up the lyrics

It's a pretty long song, but here is part of it:

Old John Joseph was a man with two first names
They left him in the railroad yard when they took away the trains
Only one run a week comes on roaring down that line
So all he's got to worry 'bout is time.

I come by in the evening to hear 'bout where he's been
He says - Come on sit down Kid, where shall I begin?
He starts telling me the stories of the glories of his past
But he always saves the story of his Corey for the last.

And he says - My Corey's coming. No more sad stories coming
My midnight-moonlight-morning-glory's coming aren't you girl?
And like I told you, when she holds you
She enfolds you in her world.

I was quite surprised to find out all the places that he knew
And so I asked the townfolk if his stories were true
They said - Old John was born here, he's lived here all his life
He's never had a woman, let alone a wife.

And very soon you'll find out as you check around
That no one named Corey's ever lived in this town
So I chided the old man 'bout the truth that I had heard
He smiled and said - Reality is only just a word.


For fellow Chapin fans, another great story/song is "Mr.Tanner".

College Media Adviser's Conference

I spent this past weekend in Manhattan. There was a "College Media Adviser's Conference" that a group of us who worked on the campus newspaper went to. There were seven of us from The Crusader crammed into a mini-van for 12 hours to get to this conference. It's a good thing that it was smack dab in the middle of Times Square, because I'm not sure I would have endured that car ride for much less.

It was my first time in New York City and I warned everyone that I was going to be "that girl." Walking around wide-eyed, mouth hanging open, taking pictures of things like pigeons, steaming sewer grates, and homeless people. When we arrived I was able to restrain myself and keep my obnoxious picture-taking to a minimum. I tried to remember not to let my mouth hang open in awe.



The conference was simultaneously helpful and disheartening. Professional journalism is a tough market, even if the economy were at its best. We heard countless stories of lengthy job searches and less-than-ideal living conditions. Internship after internship until finally you connect with the right people and are able to get a real job, even if you're a glorified secretary for a while.

I was encouraged to hear that the job search wouldn't last forever, and that many of these recent college graduates came from tiny little towns just like mine all across the U.S. I understand that we have to be willing to invest in ourselves and in our future, but the idea of an unpaid internship frightens me. I haven't exactly done the research, but rent in New York City isn't cheap. And I have grown rather fond of lunch and dinner. While we're investing in our futures, how exactly are we supposed to survive?



Over the summer, I plan to take steps toward my new life goal: working at a literary magazine. I have always admired The New Yorker and The Paris Review, however, I had never considered these publications as possible career options until this conference. My goal for the next couple years (provided my husband gets into graduate school...) is to work, save money, and freelance my ass off. I may be lacking in the area of internships (I currently have zero under my belt) but I can make up for that in publication credits--I hope.

If Edward does not get into grad school, then we'll have to come up with some sort of plan B. Though, I think we're on plan E or F by now... I suppose this conundrum is one that I will have to deal with later. The rest of my spring break will be spent catching up on homework and maybe starting Revolutionary Road. I decided that this book, plus a collection of mindless magazines, will be my summer reading material.

"Twouble with Twitters"

I found this great video called "Twouble with Twitters"

Description: "A young man struggles against the pressure to Twitter his life away."

It was created by "SuperNews" an "animated series about the news, technology, pop culture" and it beautifully expresses my feelings about Twitter.


A few of my favorite quotes:

Craig: "I'm twittering. Did you get my tweets? I just twoted all over the place."
Derek: "What's Twitter?"
Craig: *gasp* "It's the latest social networking micro uh bloggy thingy."
Derek: "I'm not interested."
Craig: "Damnit Derek! You are young, hip, tech-savvy twenty-something and I will not let you turn into my father. Come on!"
Derek: (Screaming as they fly up into the clouds) "Where are you taking me?"
Craig: "Into the Twittersphere!"


Craig: "Don't you Twitterstand? You can become a Twitterlebrity! Like these Twits."


Derek: "Ok, it seems like Twittering is just randomly bragging about your unexceptional life."
Twitter bird: (in an ethereal voice) "Oh, now you're getting it."

This is "the fail whale":

My First Tweet -- Alright already. I'm in.

The Twitter Phenom

I have been resisting this social networking site for quite a while now. I called it pointless and a waste of time. You want me to say "tweet" and "twoosh" with a straight face? I was convinced that it would be an endless string of pointless information. A website devoted entirely to facebook-status-update-like messages. Who cares? "Jenny is sitting in class." "Jenny is picking her nose." Jenny is wasting my life.

I have made no final decisions yet, but I have to admit, it's interesting. What pushed me over the edge was the fact that I could follow Tina Fey

There was also a session that I went to at the College Media Adviser's Conference that I am currently attending in NYC where a panel of recent college graduates that have landed jobs in journalism were emphasizing the importance of being web-savvy. This included being familiar with popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I was mad. I had to conform. This is my first attempt to do anything it takes to get a job.

I may even enjoy this sacrifice. I started my account about an hour ago and I'm already following 22 people. Among them are Tom Waits, NPR, New York Times, and Stephen Colbert.

Here goes nothing!

"Help Meet" Highlights - More misogyny for your day

Read my post "Created to be His Help Meet -- aka: The Book That Makes My Heart Explode" for context.

Here are a few highlights from this lovely text:
* Note: All underline, italics, bold, exclamation marks, etc. are from the author.

“What is God’s perfect will for your life? To be a good help meet” (p.73).

“Adam commenced his rule of the planet before God created Eve to help him in his life’s goals. Adam didn’t need to get Eve’s consent. God gave her to Adam to be HIS helper, not his partner. She was designed to serve, not to be served, to assist, not to veto his decisions” (p.96).

“If women were the inventors they would make minivans” (p.105).

Regarding women “keeping quiet” in the church:
“For a woman to become the channel of spiritual blessings is to put her into a position not suited for her created being. If she is effective as a replacement for her husband’s ineffective leadership, that makes it all the more wrong? For then she is, as the Bible says, usurping authority over the man—usurping glory…usurping honor…usurping control…usurping leadership. That is, she is doing what a man should be doing, and thus is getting the recognition a man should get. It is an inversion of God’s design for males and females” (p.119).

Regarding a letter from a woman whose husband, shortly after they were married, began going to strip clubs and sleeping with prostitutes. She wanted to get a divorce, but then was told not to by a woman at church and believes that it is God’s perfect will for her to stay with him. That author of the book said this:

“I have to confess that as I typed Judy’s letter into my book, I wept. Judy has turned her heart to God, for only God could have done such a work of grace in a woman. She is reverencing a man who does not deserve it, and in so doing she is reverencing God. She is reverencing God by reverencing her husband, not because her husband is a fit representative of Christ, and not because he is a worthy substitute, but because God placed her in subjection to her husband” (p. 127).

“When you married you signed over to become a minister to his needs. Your life’s work is to minister to your husband. Marriage means becoming one flesh. It does not mean being best friends” (p. 165).

“God created man with a regular need for a woman, and God commanded a man’s wife to see to it that his need is met by her!” (p.168)

“Do you love your husband the way he needs loving, the way you were created to love him? If you don’t score high points here, you are providing an opening for your husband to be tempted by other women” (p.169).

“Don’t talk to me about how uncomfortable or painful it is for you. Do you think your body is special and has special needs? Do you know who created you, and do you know he is the same God who expects you to freely give sex to your husband? Stop the excuses! Determine to find a way past your ‘excuses,’ and provide the pleasure that your husband wants only from you. Your Creator knows your heart. When you truly love and reverence your husband, the very thought of him loving the likes of you should thrill your soul and make you long to give him pleasure. If your heart is right with God, you will focus on his needs and lay aside your own selfish, prudish attitude” (p.170).

“Traits of a Good Help Meet: […] She empties her mind of the cares of the world so her body can respond to him with eagerness. […] Traits of a Wife Who is in Danger of Blaspheming the Word of God: […] Excuses her lack of wanting to gratify him sexually on the grounds that _______. (You fill in the blank. The “Excuses List” can be very long)” (p.175)


Again, here are a few related websites:

This is a blog that refutes most of what this book claims, comparing it to the Bible: http://createdtobehelpmeet.blogspot.com/

This is the book's website: http://www.createdtobehishelpmeet.org/

Excerpts: http://www.createdtobehishelpmeet.org/excerpts

Created to be His Help Meet -- aka: The book that makes my heart implode and die

I received this book in the mail today: Created to be His Help Meet, by Debi Pearl . I have not been able to put it down. Not because it is good, but because it is so terrible! I received it from a cousin (who obviously does not know me very well...) and I was interested to see what she thought I needed to read, so I perused the table of contents.

The first little tidbit that I came across was: "Successful Wife's Summary" and I thought “this ought to be good.” I had no idea how good. Author, Debi Pearl, has described a few main "categories" of men and how women should cater to them. This passage that made my blood boil seems to sum up the main theme of this book fairly accurately (and it was only the beginning). All italics/ bold/ underline/ etc. are the author’s :

"Successful Wife Summary:

a) The wife of Mr. Command Man can heal her marriage by becoming his adoring Queen, honoring and obeying his every (reasonable and unreasonable) word. She will dress, act, and speak so as to bring him honor everywhere she goes.

b) The wife of Mr. Visionary can heal her marriage by laying aside her own dreams and aspirations and embracing her role as help meet to her man, believing in him and being willing to follow him with joyful participation in the path he has chosen.

c) The wife of Mr. Steady can heal her marriage by joyfully realizing what a friend, lover, and companion she has been given and living that gratitude verbally and actively. When she stops trying to change him, he will grow. She can, then, willingly take up tasks that will fill her time and give her husband joy and satisfaction when he sees her productiveness.” (p.92)

How very charming.

I was astounded that this book was written by a woman (with the approval of her husband, no doubt). Though I consider myself a fairly independent woman, I don’t think you need to be in order to be offended by this book. This woman is stating that women have no worth in and of themselves and they exist only to serve and please their husbands. At some points in this book she says these things verbatim: “God’s ultimate goal for you is to meet your man’s needs” (p. 162).

At first, it filled me with rage—actually, it still fills me with rage—but it fills me with sorrow too. Especially when I read this: “When you married you signed over to become a minister to his needs. Your life’s work is to minister to your husband. Marriage means becoming one flesh. It does not mean being best friends” (p. 165).

I have only been married 1 ½ years and never thought I would feel qualified to give marital advice to anyone, let alone a woman who has been married for 34 years, but my god, she has no idea. Edward and I are best friends. I don’t know how people manage if they aren’t.

Not only is this book extremely sexist, misogynistic, and against Biblical principals, the writing just sucks. She makes liberal use of italics, underlines, bold face print, and exclamation points (all big no-no’s in Brent Cline classes. If you can’t get the reader’s attention with the language alone, stop writing). The only reason I kept reading was for more blog-rant material…and curiosity: could this possibly get any worse? (Usually the answer was yes).

Debi Pearl describes people in her stories as “pretty dumb” and “hillbilly ugly, which is worse than regular ugly.” If this were intended to be a farcical book (which it achieves without trying…) then these names would be a bit more excusable, because the audience would know that the author/ narrator was aware of their own absurdity. That is not the case with this book. I kept waiting for the punch line, but it never came—she’s dead serious.


This is the website that refutes most of what this book claims, comparing it to the Bible: http://createdtobehelpmeet.blogspot.com/

This is the book's website: http://www.createdtobehishelpmeet.org/

Excerpts: http://www.createdtobehishelpmeet.org/excerpts