So yeah. This happened.



This is the most hilarious thing, ever. I found this little gem over at Pinkisthenewblog.com where my buds Shannon and Trent the Awesome run thaaangs…as in "Whoooooose houseeeeee????? PITNB'ssssss house!!!!!"

Lol, they never ever ever disappoint.

Enjoy!

Enough.

So yeah, this happened Friday, 12:21am. Happy Birthday to my Little Sister Miko Alia, 32 looks so good on you and I'm glad I could share that day with you 12/21/13...(even though I was ready to go to bed before you even picked me up...).

(My #ThugLife Mean Mug)

On another note, however...there's Life,

"...Because there's too many things for you to deal with..Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless. While the tears, is rollin down your cheeks, Ya steady hopin things don't all down this week...

Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me I was given this world I didn't make it. And now my son's gettin older and older and cold...

From havin the world on his shoulders

And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but please... you got to keep your head up..."

I'm not worried about things all falling apart, not in the least. I am just "...dying inside but outside I'm looking fearless." 

Only the strong survive. So I continue to pray that God keeps blessing me with strength. Any animal, be it cat or canine can give birth. Only a Mother deals with the labor of rebirth.

Transformation.

"...It just all seems so simple, but you'd rather make it hard. Loving you is like a battle and we both end up with scars." -- Lauryn Hill 

Loving her.

...while the tears are rolling down your cheeks...

And, I'll always be a mother.

Business Insider Article

13 Sayings Only People From New England Can Understand

MELIA ROBINSONDEC. 2, 2013, 10:05 AM 607,438 278

Jared Wickerham/Getty

New England, the birthplace of the American Revolution and home to crazed sports fans.

New Englanders have a certain way of saying things.

In Yankee country, we call remote controls "clickers," traffic circles "rotaries," and subs "grinders." Mainers tack unnecessary "r"s onto words, like idear, while Bostonians drop 'em all together. It's wickedweeeahd.

And don't even try pronouncing Worcester if you're "from away."

Inspired by Business Insider's recent lists of Southern slang andMidwestern expressions the rest of America doesn't understand, here are 13 New England sayings that will inspire you to visit Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut*, and Rhode Island.

Settle in with a cup of Dunk's and enjoy.

1. "Wicked."

A dead giveaway that you're talking to a New Englander, "wicked" is a general intensifier often followed by "pissah," to mean superb.

Given the Puritan past of New England, the term emerged as apseudo-curse word during the Salem Witch Trials; although it's also said to originate in Maine. In the last 20 to 30 years, the region adopted it as an affectionate nod to the past.

2. "Bang a uey."

Mike Carlson/AP

Whether you're cruising the Pike or navigating a parking lot at one of tax-free New Hampshire's outlet malls, to "bang a uey" (pronounced yoo-ee) is far from being a suggestive slur. "Bang" is to turn and "uey" is short for for U-turn, so this basically is just a directive to turn the car around.

3. "Frappe."

The milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard is the frappe (pronounced with a silent "e"). It's an ultra-thick blend of milk, flavored syrup, and any flavor of ice cream available. If you order a milkshake in New England, you'll likely get a soupier concoction of just milk and syrup.

The frappe, often called a "cabinet" in Rhode Island, worked its way into the national vocabulary when in 1994,Starbucks bought the rights to the name "Frappuccino."

4. "Ayuh!"

If a Mainer asks if you read Stephen King's new book, you can assure him, "ayuh!" The informal affirmative, meaning "yes," possibly derived from the nautical "aye." It's mostly associated with the old-fashioned Down East accent, which is still heard in Eastern Maine but is pretty scarce among people under age 40.

Flickr/timsackton

Harvard Yard.

5. "Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd."

Do so and you're likely to get towed — "Park the car in Harvard Yard" is an old saw used to ridicule the way Bostonians talk. The traditional, John F. Kennedy-famous accent has broad "a"s and is non-rhotic, meaning the "r" sound drops when it precedes other consonants (smart becomes "smaht"), and other times just for fun (chowder becomes "chowdah").

The phrase doesn't make much sense — most of Harvard's historic 22-acre yard is off-limits to vehicles — but it does make five "r"s magically disappear.

6. "That Masshole just cut me off!"

The "Masshole" takes pride in his aggressive and illegal driving habits. The King of Road Rage, he drifts between lanes with reckless abandon, tailgates hard, is too cool to use turn signals, and has demonstrated an inability to yield, merge, observe road signs and speed limits, and function like a human being behind the wheel of a car.

7. "Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don't make them biscuits."

This odd little analogy heard throughout Vermont and Maine emphasizes the value they place on native status. If you were born in New England, but your parents are originally from out-of-state, you can fuhggedabout claiming to be a true New Englander. Harsh.

One might also say someone is "from away," indicating he isn't a native of Maine.

Wikimedia Commons

A true New York System hot wiener.

8. "Now that's a New York System hot wiener!"

A staple of Rhode Island's foodie tradition, these wieners — never "hot dogs" — caught on in the early 1900's and were named to invoke a sense of Coney Island-authenticity. The New York System hot wiener ordered "all the way" is cut short, about four inches long, cooked slowly on a low-heat griddle all day, and topped with mustard, raw chopped onions, celery salt, and a greasy ground-beef sauce.

Wash it down with a bottle of coffee milk, a combination of sweet coffee syrup and milk that is Little Rhody'sofficial state drink.

9. "Make a packie run."

Before the Sox game starts, stock up on some Sam Adams at the package store — "packie" for short, also known as a liquor store. The term is a relic of post-Prohibition days, when purists still didn't care to associate with the likes of boozy-sounding words. "Package" most likely references the plain paper bag you get at checkout.

10. "You can't get there from here."

Before it was a R.E.M. song, this colloquialism served as a tongue-in-cheek response to travelers asking for difficult directions.

It seems like nonsense today, but in Maine during the era of settlement, with few roads, fewer bridges, and tough terrain, many people on the move would often find themselves in sight of their destinations but with no way to get there.

Twitter/@bakedbyrachel

A Hoodsie cup.

11. "Have a Hoodsie Cup."

A Hoodsie Cup is a small waxed-paper cup filled with half chocolate, half vanilla ice cream, and tastes of frozen whipped cream and nostalgia. Every elementary school child received a red polka-dotted cup with a flat wooden spoon on Ice Cream Days and in-school holidays.

Produced by Massachusetts-based dairy company Hood, Hoodsies launched in 1947 and is still available at Walmart and limited grocery stores in the Northeast.

12. "The kid's got moxie."

Moxie describes someone with vigor, stamina, and guts — a neologism inspired by the official soft drink of Maine. Dr. Augustine Thompson, a Union native, first patented Moxie in 1876 as a medicinal drink that strengthens the nerves and cures "loss of manliness."

The bitter beverage was later rebranded to take advantage of the rapidly growing soft drink market, and by World War II, people were saying, "What this country needs is plenty of Moxie."

Wikimedia Commons

Rest in peace, Old Man of the Mountain.

13. "Live free or die."

New Hampshire doesn't mess around with freedom. When an illness forced General John Stark, the state's most distinguished Revolutionary War hero, to decline an invitation to the 32nd anniversary reunion of an important battle, he instead sent a written toast to his wartime comrades. It read, "Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst of Evils."

More than a century later, the 1945 Legislature adopted it as the official state motto. It remains the ballsiest motto of the 50 states.

Did we miss your favorite? Add it in the comments.

"What this Country Needs is Plenty of Moxie"

because of Moxie's "Nerve Food" image, the word "moxie" enters the English language as a synonym for vim, vigor, stamina, and just plain "guts". - See more at: http://www.drinkmoxie.com/history.php#sthash.x2TKGS95.dpuf

because of Moxie's "Nerve Food" image, the word "moxie" enters the English language as a synonym for vim, vigor, stamina, and just plain "guts". - See more at: http://www.drinkmoxie.com/history.php#sthash.x2TKGS95.dpuf

*Apparently Connecticut's only cultural contribution is "Gilmore Girls."

Today, I deleted an important part of my life.

So, yeah.

I could share (emphasis added)

My thoughts

My deepest

Lightest thoughts

If third-party participants

Were platonic,

Understood what was

Meant by love.

Non-judgmental

Non-Self Deprecating

Just utterly and supremely

Unmatched

This love

Unattached from the world

And it's lack of trust

This love.

Unmistakenly rich with the beauty

Of this very love, Love.

And all I really wanted to say was Hi

And I wanted to know, in your words

That you are well.

The world road on your shoulders

I simply walked by your side

Once.

Maybe twice.

Touching fragmented pieces 

of the inner me...

It is nightfall on my dreams 

And they shall be put to rest

Sleeping Beauty

Waiting for her Prince 

The dark

Holds my dreams and reality

Replenishing

The light holds my destiny

Self-fulfilling 

The Moon is my element 

Night Crawler

Unrelenting.

I am She.

What will be, will in fact, be. And that is just the way it is...

And Today, I am at peace.

Rest easy.

Yesterday was hard, today was less hard...

This little guy makes me so happy! 

So, yeah. Sometimes you just need to step back, take a deep breath...and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

It wasn't just one thing that occurred or didn't occur it was like 4 or 5 completely separate pieces of my life falling apart. Imagine, the plumbing in your house falters...and then the sink is clogged: same area, possibly same basic root-issue.

Now imagine the same house with both plumbing issues, the roof is actively leaking, there is mold in the basement where you've stored antiques AND you need to update your Constitutional Law notes (Ok, that last one was just a real life issue that I needed to throw out there for prayer...)!

That was my day yesterday. Water works like you would NOT believe, but today? Today was such an improvement. Today, I'm ready to face the music - and the friggin Plumber *angryangrybeaver.

My OOTD had an interview (sans stylish boot wear and hair au naturale...hair was in a pony) & met with a few attorney friends for encouragement because that's how I roll. Lol ;)

I write; therefore I am.

Have you ever felt your heart undeviatingly crack, an ear-splitting break so completely and thoroughly silent, the sound an impending calm screaming with utter stillness so much so that its enormous fissure leaves a gaping so deep that brainwaves will not synapse the proper wording to retaliate, reply, respond or repair, in kind or otherwise, through its deafening eye of the storm, that you literally, and figuratively, had no words?  

Yeah, me neither. 

...the sun will come out, tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be Sun -- Annie (...and Annie wasn't an orphan for very long after that song, now was she...? Ya know why...because she saw the good in Daddy Warbucks, she was given truth and because she believed.)

All you have to do is Believe. 

(I totally want to add that song of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey singing "If You Believe" ... Wouldn't that be AWESOME?!) 

Mumia Abu-Jamal

So, yeah...then there's Mumia.

And I'm supposed to have my head in the books. 

And it's 1:32 a.m. but I felt this was really important. 

I often mentally wax poetic and then keep my thoughts o'the day as my own, today is different. It dawned on me as I was reading Con Law (I should so not go off in thought during study time!) that the President of these United States could pardon Mumia. I wonder if that ever goes through his mind...

(www.blackpast.org)

Mumia Abu-Jamal and his  

Political activist and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 24, 1954. Born Wesley Cook, he took the name Mumia (“Prince”) in high school while taking a class on African cultures. In 1971, he added Abu-Jamal (“father of Jamal”) after the birth of his first son, Jamal. He has been married three times.

Abu-Jamal's first encounter with the police came when he was 14.  He was beaten by a white Philadelphia police officer for disrupting a “George Wallace for President” rally in 1968. Eventually he dropped out of high school and joined the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party. Jamal was appointed BPP’s “Lieutenant of Information,” putting him in charge of the organization’s media relations and placing him on the radar for surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He eventually earned his graduate equivalency high school degree (GED) and briefly attended Goddard College in Vermont.

In 1975 Abu-Jamal began working for a series of radio stations, using his commentary on issues of the day to advocate for social change.  Due to his growing popularity he was elected president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Despite his popularity, Abu-Jamal was forced to take a second job as a taxi driver to supplement his income.  

Abu-Jamal became nationally prominent, however, when he was arrested for the murder of Philadelphia policeman Daniel Faulkner.  On December 9, 1981, Faulkner was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop involving Jamal’s brother, William Cook. During the scuffle between Faulkner and Cook, Abu-Jamal also was shot and taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was treated and then arrested and charged with first-degree murder. In June 1982, Abu-Jamal was tried.  Despite conflicting testimony from key witnesses, Abu-Jamal was found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1994, Abu-Jamal returned to radio once again as a commentator for Prison Radio and for National Public Radio. His NPR commentaries were compiled in 1995 as part ofLive from Death Row, which resulted in Abu-Jamal’s punishment of solitary confinement for engaging in entrepreneurship from prison.

Obamacare vs. The Affordable Care Act

The above video is from Jimmy Kimmel Live, HILARIOUS....

The explanation below (beginning at the title ObamaCare in 100 words) is from http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-explained.php and for anyone who would like to make the argument for or against.

The moniker 'Obamacare', simply to inform the masses, was dubbed so to elicit the very above comments. Whether you agree or disagree, the issue is to be INFORMED in order to make a sound intellectual statement/opinion.  It is difficult to break down political rhetoric as they are ALL politicians and can be trusted in no sense of the word, lol and the website Sees the Information and Raises the public Understanding.

Ha! Do you see what I did there? As in poker players, of which I am not one? Poker players say, I see your $1000 and I raise you $1000 more! (Sometimes I like to break it down for ya!)

Lol, I kill me. I really really do.

ObamaCare in 100 Words

The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) increases the quality, accessibility and affordability of health insurance. In exchange most people, who can afford to, must obtain health coverage by 2014 or pay a per month fee. The law eliminates pre-existing conditions, stops insurance companies from dropping you when you are sick, protects against gender discrimination, expands free preventative services and health benefits, expands Medicaid and CHIP, improves Medicare, mandates larger employers insure employees, creates a marketplace for subsidized insurance providing tens of millions individuals, families and small businesses with free or low-cost health insurance, and decreases healthcare spending and the deficit.

ObamaCare Simplified Explanation in Bullet Points

Here is a simplified ObamaCare explanation of what every American should know about our new health care law. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does a lot, luckily most of us don’t need to know the details, let's take a look at what we do need to know:
• ObamaCare does’t create health insurance, it regulates the health insurance industry and helps to increase quality, affordability and availability of private insurance.
• Most people who currently have health insurance can keep it.
• Young adults can stay on their parents plan until 26.
• If you don’t have coverage, you can use the new Health Insurance Marketplace to buy a private insurance plan.
• Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace goes from October 1st, 2013 to March 31st, 2014.
• If you don’t obtain coverage or an exemption by January 1st, 2014 you must pay a per-month fee on your federal income tax return for every month you are without health insurance.
• In 2014 the fee is $95 per adult ($47.50 per child) or 1% of income, whichever is higher. The family max is $285.
• The cost of your marketplace health insurance works on a sliding scale. Those who make less, pay less.
• American making less than $45,960 as individual or $94,200 as a family of 4 may be eligible for premium tax credits through the marketplace. Tax credits subsidize insurance premium costs.
• If you are able to get qualified health insurance through your employer you won’t be able to receive marketplace tax credits unless the employer doesn’t cover at least 60% of your premium cost, doesn’t provide quality insurance or provides insurance that exceeds 9.5% of your families income.
• If you are able to get qualified health insurance through your employer you won’t be able to receive marketplace tax credits unless your employer doesn’t cover at least 60% of your premium cost, doesn’t provide quality insurance or provides insurance that exceeds 9.5% of your families income.
• Up to 82% of nearly 16 million uninsured young U.S. adults will qualify for federal subsidies or Medicaid through the marketplace.
• You don’t have to use the marketplace to buy insurance, but you should fill out an application to see if you qualify for assistance before shopping for insurance outside of the marketplace.
• The ACA does away with pre-existing conditions and gender discrimination so these factors will no longer affect the cost of your insurance on or off the marketplace.
• You can’t be denied health coverage based on health status.
• You can’t be dropped from coverage when you are sick.
• Health Insurers can’t place lifetime limits on your coverage. As of 2014 annual limits are eliminated as well.
• All new plans sold on or off the marketplace must include a wide range of new benefits including wellness visits and preventative tests and treatments at no additional out-of-pocket cost.
• All full-time workers who work for companies with over 50 employees must be offered job based health coverage by 2015. Employers who do not offer coverage will pay a per-employee fee.
• Small businesses with under 50 full-time employees can use a part of the marketplace called the SHOP (small business health options program) to purchase group health plans for their employees.
• Small businesses with under 25 full-time employees can use the marketplace to purchase subsidized insurance for their employees.
• Medicare isn’t part of the marketplace. If you have Medicare keep it!
• Medicaid and CHIP are expanded to provide insurance to up to 16 million of our nations poorest.
• When you apply for the marketplace you’ll find out if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). You’ll also be made aware if you qualify for Medicare.

So, yeah. 

This happened.

And of course the Daily Show with Jon Stewart expressed their take on it (This video may or may not have been recorded in Boston, MA.  Protests occurred in many cities across the country).

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-1-2013/pay-mas---fast-food---minimum-wage

K.O. wearing his own U.G.C. shirt, proudly.

He may not work in the Fast Food industry but he fully understands the struggle.  Most of the hard working individuals employed at these establishments are not the 16-year-old worker spoken of on Fox 25 News in Boston this morning (how thoroughly elitist and out of touch), simply trying to gain experience and a bit of cash; they are the 28-year-old unemployed-due-to-the-unfortunate-economy worker with rent, bills, and children to care for on a continuing basis.

My specific politics are not of issue, what is of issue is the struggle, and the responsible of which my beautiful bouncing baby boy is choosing to express his. He gets it; and he does something about it. Not only is it his job, it is also the make-up of who he is and who he is not.  In the music (Kash Tha Ovadose) he creates, there he expresses the struggles.  He also speaks of some other things a young man of his lifestyle sees and is involved with, and in, on a daily basis.

I said it once (or one million times) and I'll say it again: My son is just THE MOST...

Let your voice be heard, Pa...the people have no choice but to listen.

Good Morning, August!

So, yeah. This #thuglife* is happening. Lol.

July was a good month in some ways, sadly unjustified in others. I did spend time with my grandad and my favorite twin cousin (Mufasa, Sarabi, and Simba) aka Eric, Nikki, and EJ, lol. 

And a man who committed murder walked free through the hands of man but not in the eyes of the Almighty one, Only God Can Judge him now.

Hello, August! You beautiful month, you! Let's see what awesome opportunities you have in store ;).

*Caveat: No bandanas were harmed in the taking of this mini photo shoot. And yes, I am still thuggin...it's Monday. Even Nelson Mandela thugs it out on a Monday! 

Be well, Mr. Mandela, be well.

T. G. Harrison

My grandad, Tommie George, wasn't fairing very well and so I had to go see him. And at 94 (well he'll be 94 in 5 weeks) he is literally the cutest grandad on the planet!

Born 09-09-1919; there is a massive amount of history in grandad's sharp as a tack memory and a massive amount of mayhem (no mules, not an ounce, dads/sons, -- lolololol -- ) and things without a lick o' sense. 

Lordamercy.

I used to feel cheated not to have had that side of the family in my life. Now, I'm just happy ;).

See that smile? So. Much. Love. Who could feel anything but happy seeing that smile?

Blew my grandad a big ole kiss. I think he thinks I'm kinda crazy, so yeah...I belong to them ;).

Me, grandad, Eric...last day there, I was so sad ;'(.

DJ is such a butthead! Lol. This is the only pic Toya & I took :(.

I secretly think Mufasa & I are twin cousins, 16 yrs apart. Lol

Uncle Lonnie (Toya's daddy), Eric (Mufasa), DJ (the mannnnnnnn), and me. Chillin w my fellas. I don't worry 'bout a thing with these guys around. 

Eric: (just waiting for anyone to step out of line) That's right cuuuuuz. 

DJ: (laughing, also hoping for a habitual line crosser) I wish a mofo would

Uncle Lonnie: (the one that supports these guys to act a fool) THAT'S RIGHT NEPHEW!

All three of us: He gone learn TA-Day! Lol

My cousins (L to R) April (so in love with her), Nikki (Eric's wife & EJ  -- my chi chi's mom --), Trouble T-Roy, LaToya (who drives me insane but makes my lil ole heart beat), and Tionna (sexxymama)

My cousin Nicole whose married to my favorite favorite guy cousin on the planet Mufasa (Eric) with all the hair up there!

It's so hard to leave, I cry every single time ;'(. Me, grandad, Auntie Joann. I love her soooooooo much!

My Auntie Sue has the prettiest smile, ever!

Lament from a White Father -- Jim Wallis

(HuffingtonPost.com)

It's time for white people -- especially white parents -- to listen, to learn, and to speak out on the terribly painful loss of Trayvon Martin.

If my white 14-year-old son Luke had walked out that same night, in that same neighborhood, just to get a snack, he would have come back to his dad unharmed -- and would still be with me and Joy today. Everyone, being honest with ourselves, knows that is true. But when black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin went out that night, just to get a snack, he ended up dead -- and is no longer with his dad and mom. Try to imagine how that feels, as his parents.

It was a political, legal, and moral mistake to not put race at the center of this trial because it was at the center from the beginning of this terrible case. Many are now saying, "There was a trial; the results must be accepted." How well the case against George Zimmerman was prosecuted, how fair the tactics of the defense were, the size and selection of the jury, how narrowly their instructions were given -- all will be the subject of legal discussions for a very long time.

But while the legal verdicts of this trial must be accepted, the larger social meaning of court cases and verdicts must be dealt with, especially as they impact the moral quality of our society.

This is not just about verdicts but also about values. 

And the impact of race in and on this case, this trial, and the response to it around the country must now all be centrally addressed.

There is no doubt that this whole tragedy began with the racial profiling of Trayvon Martin. In George Zimmerman's comments, rationales, and actions, the identity of Trayvon as a young black man was absolutely central. Both sides in the courtroom admitted that.

And when the defense put up as a witness a white woman who had been robbed by black men as central to why Zimmerman picked out Trayvon Martin to follow and stalk -- it really said it all. Was she robbed by Trayvon Martin? No. So why should he be suspect because of another black robber? That is racial profiling. Period.

As the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his most famous "I Have a Dream" speech, whose 50^th anniversary is coming up this August 24^th:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

King's dream failed on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla., when George Zimmerman decided to follow Trayvon Martin because of the color of his skin. This led to a confrontation in which a child was killed by an adult who got away with it, because of the way Florida laws were written and interpreted.

What exactly happened between Zimmerman and Martin will never be known, because the boy is dead and the adult did not have to testify and be cross examined. How a black boy responded to a strange man who was following him, and what the stranger did with that, is a story we can never really know. But regardless of the verdict that rests on narrow definitions of self-defense and reasonable doubt, it is absolutely clear that racial profiling was present in this whole incident.

And racial profiling is a sin in the eyes of God. It should also be a crime in the eyes of our society, and the laws we enact to protect each other and our common good.

White parents should ask black parents what they were talking about with their children this weekend. It is a long-standing conversation between black dads and moms, especially with their boys, about how to carefully behave in the presence of police officers with guns. Now they must add any stranger who might have a gun and could claim they were fearful of a black man and had to shoot. The spread of legalized carried-and-concealed weapons and the generous self-defense laws that accompany the guns will lead to the death of more black men in particular.

Death is horrible enough. But systematic injustice -- one that allows white boys to assume success, yet leads black boys to cower from the very institutions created to protect our own wellbeing -- is a travesty. Listen to the stories from Saturday and Sunday nights, of 12-year-old black boys who asked to sleep in bed with their parents because they were afraid. If black youth in America can't rely on the police, the law, or their own neighborhood for protection -- where can they go?

This is one of those painful moments which reveal an utterly segregated society, in reality and perception alike. White people have almost no idea of what black people are thinking and feeling -- even the parents of their children's friends from school or sports teams who are black. Trust me: Most white people over this past weekend, whether conservatives or liberals, had almost no idea of what was happening in virtually every black family in America.

Finally, there is a religious message here for all Christians. If there ever was a time that demonstrated why racially and culturally diverse congregations are needed -- that time is now. The body of Christ is meant, instructed, and commanded by Christ to be racially inclusive. If white Christians stay in our mostly-white churches and talk mostly to each other we will never understand how our black brothers and sisters are feeling after a terrible weekend like this one. It was the conversation of every black church in America on this Sunday, but very few white Christians heard that discussion or felt that pain.

White Christians cannot and must not leave the sole responsibility of telling the truth about America, how it has failed Trayvon Martin and so many black Americans, solely to their African-American brothers and sisters in Christ. It's time for white Christians to listen to their black brothers and sisters, to learn their stories, and to speak out for racial justice and reconciliation. The country needs multi-racial communities of faith to show us how to live together.  

Sign up here to hear more from Jim Wallis and Sojourners on this issue.

Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned About Serving the Common Good, is now available. Watch the Story of the Common Good HERE. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis. 

Take Me To The King (Live)

So, yeah. Her voice made me feel, when I was numb.
Help me, help me when she ever broke into my FAVORITE gospel song (ok 2nd fave) of all time:
"I Surrender" AND then went back to "Take Me...)
Father.
God.
My hand shot into the air...HaLLELujaaaah!
Enjoy.

[Chorus:]
Take me to the King
I don't have much to bring
My heart is torn in pieces
It's my offering
Take me to the King

[Verse 1:]
Truth is I'm tired
Options are few
I'm trying to pray
But where are you?
I'm all churched out
Hurt and abused
I can't fake
What's left to do?

Truth is I'm weak
No strength to fight
No tears to cry
Even if I tried
But still my soul
Refuses to die
One touch will change my life

[Chorus:]
Take me to the King
I don't have much to bring
My heart's torn in pieces
It's my offering

Lay me at the throne
Leave me there alone
To gaze upon Your glory
And sing to You this song
Please take me to the King

[Verse 2:]
Truth is it's time
To stop playing these games
We need a word
For the people's pain

So Lord speak right now
Let it fall like rain
oh, yeah, We're desperate
We're chasing after you

[Bridge:]
No rules, no religion
I've made my decision
To run to You –
The healer that I need

[Chorus:]
Take me to the King
I don't have much to bring
My heart's torn to pieces
It's my offering

Lay me at the throne
Leave me there alone
To gaze upon Your glory
And to sing to You this song

Take me to the...

Lord we're in the way
We keep making mistakes
Glory is not for us
It's all for You

[Chorus:]
Take me to the King
I don't have much to bring
My heart's torn to pieces
It's my offering

Lay me at the throne
Leave me there alone
To gaze upon Your glory
And sing to You this song

Take me to the King [3x]