Wednesday, November 29, 2006

disABLED


It was crunch time, finals were hitting me heavy when I was working on a story for my newswriting class last year about Northeastern University students with disabilites. As I was sitting in the lobby of the Disability Resource Center waiting for a crucial interview with someone from the office, I picked up a magazine called Careers & the disABLED and started browsing through it. There was something special about how they lettered the work disabled. They used lowercase letters on the 'dis' part and caps on the 'ABLED' part. It was a smart and quick way to get this point across: "Don't focus on what you can't do. Channel your energy on what you CAN do!" That really stuck with me. It's amazing how the lettering of one simple word can express so much.

Sometimes I wonder if God is trying to reach out to us like that. What words is He trying to make us see in a different light? What things in our lives is He trying to captialize?

Maybe God wants us to focus on being CHRISTians instead of us trying to be cool and getting our own way. Or maybe God wants us have compassion for pornSTARS who are being misused and mistreated when they were created to shine for Christ.

I won't pretend like I have it all together because I don't. God knows it, I know it, my family knows and if you met me you'd know it too. But I cling to this promise: "in my weakness He is strong" and "His strength is made perfect in weakness".

I'm quite fine with Jesus being the function in my dysFUNCTION. He loves me and I understand that spiritual maturity is a journey.

II Corinthians 12:9-10: But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Jesus and the Journalist


Nothing good comes out of Detroit, right? Well, at least not since the Motown era. Unfortunately these days Detroit is known for three things: The Pistons (or Tigers if you're a baseball fan), layoffs (courtesty of Ford and GM) and Eminem's infamous 8 Mile. And to top off the Motor City's "illustrious" reputation it was recently garnished with the title of America's second most dangerous city. But amongst a struggling state ecomomy a light shined in the dark offering the city hope and from a most unusual source...the evening news.

Frank Turner, an Emmy-winning journalist, got a chance to share the Good News to millions of Detroit metropolitan viewers. His personal testimony is a redeeming story of one who struggled with addictions, depression, public disgrace and divorce. God was able to turn his troubles into a triumph for the Kingdom. Turner's website says:

Frank is also extremely proud of his recognition as "America's First Evangelical Anchorman" for being the first nightly news anchor in television history to boldly proclaim the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ in regular commentaries during a secular newscast!


Turner departed from Channel 7 News and is now commited to his full-time evangelical ministy God's Amazing Grace. He is currently traveling around Michigan sharing his story and will have a TV show on a local station in January.

The Detroit Tigers may have lost The World Series but Frank Turner is giving the city a winning story to talk about.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Peyton's Brother

One Tree Hill pulled out a refreshing plot twist: Peyton's real half-brother Derek is biracial (black and white). And the really surprising part was that it didn't take them five episodes to explain "how" that could happen. The writers deserve big kudos for that alone. Ernest Waddell's (Derek) portrayal of the tough as nails Marine with a big heart is the best addition to the series. On the good side, this shows that the American television audience is ready to embrace the fact that multi-ethnic families do exist and that they are growing in numbers. The 2000 Census was the first time people of multi-ethnic backgrounds were able to select more than one race box. This was a big step in the right direction of breaking down the "you can only pick one" line of thinking. On the bad side, what took Hollywood so long to do a show like this? And better yet, why aren't there more shows with this kind of content? One Tree Hill may have an abundance of teen angst melodrama but this storyline is a true diamond in the rough.

On the other hand, some journalists still miss the mark when it comes inter-racial couples and their biracial children. The whole one black and one white twin phenomenon is a prime example. Racialious.com made this fine point:

First, people are still so intent on forcing people into neat little categories. But these children are all mixed - they’re not solely “black” or “white.” Second, it’s amazing how much phenotype - especially skin color - warps people’s perceptions.

A person may "look" a certain way, but that doesn't change what they "are". That's what some of the American public just doesn't seem to get and it's pretty sad considering it's 2006. Sometimes pictures say it best so here's a short list of black and white biracial entertainers: Halle Berry, Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds), Alicia Keys and Wenthworth Miller (Prision Break). I wish I could take snapshots of people's reactions when I tell them Miller is part African-American. Then I could make a catalog of all the pictures and call it The Miller Wall of "No Way!" because a suprised reaction of disbelief is the top response.

Mavin, Swirl Inc. and Project Race are excellent resources that delve deeper into the biracial and multi-ethnic movement.

We've come a long way since the civil rights movement in the 1960s but it is quite clear that we still have a long way to go. Until then, stay tuned to One Tree Hill and...viva la revolution!

Saturday, November 25, 2006

26 Letters


I was searching the web for the lyrics to this amazing song by Ben Glover. I found this picture and then it hit me--Ben Glover looks like Screech from Saved by the Bell. That's if you stuck around long enough to watch Screech grow a gotee. It's kind of funny because I saw Dustin Diamond a.k.a "Screech" on some TV show recently because he was selling T-shirts to save his house from foreclosure. According to his wikipedia entry, a reporter said the whole T-shirt bit was a scam. Poor Screech.

I wonder if Ben Glover looked like Screech when he was younger. If so, maybe getting stuffed into lockers and picked on fueled his artistic creativity. Glover's lyrics are so profoundly rich, seasoned with clarity and simple imagery that cleverly conveys the struggle of a believer's journey. As great as his songwriting skills are, he boldy proclaims that his words could never come close to capturing all the glory, mystery and beauty found in Christ. And that's what I love about the song "26 Letters". No matter how hard we try to paint the perfect picture or form the most stunning sentence God is so much biggger than it all...so utterly break-taking that it will take an eternity for us to express our gratitude for his love.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Blogroll

Here's an extended list of all the blogs I like to read. Enjoy!


[Sidenote: I back-posted this list because my blogroll has become so massive. There are just so many good blogs read!]

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Promote

This is the spot for all the goodies and extras for Think Virtue!

Like what you see on this blog? Wanna join the fun and spread the word???

Then get ready for Pick It or Skip It

Here's how it works:

I'll be spotlighting all kinds of cool stuff on this page. Periodically, I'll update the following categories with new bands, authors, etc. and all you have to do is...

A.) check out the people and their websites.
B.) if you like it then Pick It and promote it on your website or blog. If it's not your style then Skip It.
C.) leave a comment in my comments section letting me know where you promoted the stuff so other people can see your cool placement or post about it.

It's that simple, you only promote the stuff that you like. That way your passion about it is totally natural when you spread the word.

The Pick of the Crop: Promote Jesus! Why? Because without Him, there is nothing worth promoting. Jesus isn't some make-believe character in a book. He's a living being and He's there offering you unfailing love and eternal life. No matter what you've done, you are never too far away to accept the mercy and grace He offers you. We all fall short one way or the other, so let Jesus' strength make you strong. For more info on Jesus, visit www.biblegateway.com and read the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Also, if you're a visual person like me, you can rent and/or buy The Jesus Film and The Passion of the Christ. *(picture used courtesy of DJ Triple Threat of California)*

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+++Things to Promote+++


Ministry of the Month: Beauty for Ashes




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Social Justice Cause of the Month: Kupenda




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Band of the Month: Superchick




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Filmmaker of the Month: Young H. Lee


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Website of the Month: Indie Go-Go




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Blog of the Month: Hookers for Jesus (Annie Lobert)



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Author of the Month: Camy Tang




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Movie of the Month: The List starring Hilarie Burton and Malcolm McDowell.




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About my blog


I have a lot of interests. Does that make me interesting?

I’m not the type of lady to order a straight up strawberry smoothie. I like to mix things up. Smoothies are best when exotic and common fruits react. Everything about me is searching for the hyrbrid in life. From my movie selections to my food choices to being creative with my faith.

Why order vanilla when you can have a swirl? And why order a swirl when you can have a swirl with chocolate syrup and whipped cream on top? I’m all about making things better, looking at life from different angles and seeing the beauty in the blend.

I aspire to create a blog like an expert smoothie shop...catchy names, lots of fresh content, fabulous pictures, a comfy atmosphere and a great view. If you’re looking for a one-stop spot for a sensational blogger smoothie then...Think Virtue!

I’ll supply the content to stir up the conversations on Jesus, entertainment and social jusitce and you bring those little umbrella thingies so we can get some interaction going.

That pretty much sums it up. So if you have any questions, concerns or answers (who doesn't need those?) email me: solshine7[at]hotmail.com

__________

My other sites:

My MySpace page
Sci-Fi / Journalist
Remember that Song?!?!
*Sweet Veggie*
RTS on myspace
Filmmakers for Social Justice
My Music
doing my radio show
radio show pics, etc.

Selected Articles:

Movie Review: Blood and Chocolate
"Barrage Plays That Fiddle Like It's Hot"
"The Lady and Her Vespa"
"Corbin Bleu and Brenda Song bring diversity to The Disney Channel"
"One Tree Hill gets biracial"
"One Essential For Metro Riders"
"Students can once again reach for Stars"
"African American Institute celebrates 35"