Best of 2017

25.  Legion (TV show)

superhero stories are getting pretty boring lately but this show was a very creative and unique take on one

 

24.  Walk into a Storm (album)

they always manages to make incredible music

 

23.  Shape of Water (movie)

fun, whimsical, grand, and absolutely beautifully shot, I had lots of fun watching it

 

22.  Exit West (book)

a wondrous, touching, poetry-rich novel about the life of an immigrant couple

 

21.  mother! (movie)

some funky stuff happens, but it’s provoked the most conversation out of anything this year and that’s pretty cool

 

20.  Dunkirk (movie)

this film is a masterpiece

 

19.  Mudbound (movie)

strong, powerful story and strong, powerful performances

 

18.  Raised Under Grey Skies (album)

if I could have anyone’s voice, it would be this man’s

 

17.  Coco (movie)

Pixar somehow always seems to outdo itself with its original movies, and this one is no exception

 

16.  The Good Place [season 2] (TV show)

I laugh loudly and often, and it does way more than just your average sitcom

 

15.  I Am Not Your Negro (movie)

this should be mandatory viewing for everyone

 

14.  Missing Richard Simmons (podcast)

I never thought I’d say this, but I want to be a little more like Richard Simmons after listening to this

 

13.  Mercury & Lightning (album)

this album from John Mark McMillan gets better and better every time I listen to it

 

12.  A Ghost Story (movie)

this movie is big, cosmic, thought-provoking, ethereal, and beautiful

 

11.  The Florida Project (movie)

empathy, joy in the midst of suffering, love, poverty – this heart-wrenching film tackles complex topics extremely carefully and excellently (also there are incredible child actors. Incredible I tell you)

 

10.  Wonder Valley (book)

even though I tore through this book in 2 days, I still haven’t stopped thinking about it

 

9. Silence (movie)

technically released in 2016, but only in 4 theaters, so here it is

 

8.  Wendigo (album) 

poetic, transportive, and truly beautiful, Penny and Sparrow continue to put out my favorite kind of music

 

7.  Get Out (movie)

I’m thinking this will go down in history as one of the Great horror movies

 

6.  Big Little Lies (TV show)

astounding performances, enrapturing storytelling, gorgeous cinematography, there’s really not much to dislike

 

5.  It Comes at Night (movie)

I loved this so much, I wrote a blog post about it

 

4. Call Me By Your Name (movie)

it’s hard to describe this movie because it’s one that you just feel

 

3.  The Sacred Enneagram (book)

I thought I knew lots about the Enneagram, but this book kindly coached me on how truly divine, beautiful, and life-changing it really is

 

2.  Ladybird (movie)

everything about this movie is expertly done, but what puts it so high on the list for me was the transcendent, interconnected, holistic experience you get at the ending

 

1.  What Is The Bible? (book)

whether you’ve grown up in the church, been hurt by religion, or know very little about Christianity, if you are willing to listen, this book might just transform how you interact with scripture and maybe life

 

Honorable Mentions – Movies: Super Dark Times, Okja, The Big Sick, Baby Driver, I, Tonya;    TV: American Vandal, Dear White People;    Books: Borne, All Our Wrong Todays, Little Fires Everywhere;    Music: Masseduction, Turn Out The Lights, Freudian, All Is Not Lost;    Podcasts: Every Little Thing, S-Town

Things that purposefully didn’t make this list: Three Billboards, Reputation, Stranger Things, Any DC movie, any Marvel movie, Black Mirror Season 4, all other animated movies other than Coco

Give and then give some more

Here’s my unofficial list of things you can buy this Christmas to give to yourself or loved ones, BUT ALSO give back to either someone else or the environment.

Give it a look and give back!

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If you are looking for some type of tote or bag

• Love 41 – handcrafted leather bags (and jewelry!) that support education and anti-hunger projects across Africa
• Better Life Bags – build a custom bag and support women all across the world who are employed to make it
• Sword and Plough – repurposed army duffels that empower veteran employment and reduce waste (also jewelry!)
• State Bags – for every one of these cool backpacks bought, one is loaded with essential items and given to an American child in need
• Looptworks – upcycled backpacks, laptop cases, and more that reduce waste and help the environemt
• Stone and Cloth – each purchase of these snazzy lookin bags helps provide scholarships to students in need
• Ever Maya – fun, colorful Guatemalan bags (jewelry too!) that help local workers and help provide for impoverished and disadvantaged children in Guatemala.
• Homeboy Industries – bags (and apparel!) created by employing “formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community”

State Bags

Sword and Plough

Stone and Cloth

Ever Maya

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If you want some leather goods

• deux mains – Haiti based handmade leather goods that provide sustainable jobs, living wages, and opportunities for Haiti based artisans
• Fashionable – leather goods, jewelry, and clothing that employs and empowers women to help them overcome poverty.
• Parker Clay – a leather goods company (bags, jewelry, even blankets) that employs and empowers women who have escaped the commercial sex industry in Ethiopia
• Nisolo – Peruvian made shoes and bags.

Nisolo shoes

Parker Clay

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Jewelry is real nice isn’t it?

• Giving Keys – hipster, popular, stylish, and each purchase supports job creating for those transitioning out of homelessness
• Cayetano Legacy – a touch expensive, but beautiful jewelry with materials sourced from the Philippine Islands, also creating jobs there
• 31 Bits – mostly jewelry (also an assortment of bags, goods, and gifts) that helps displaced women combat poverty
• Raven and Lily – employs at-risk women (trafficked, HIV+, previously homeless, or in oppressive situations) to create this fair-trade jewelry
• Falling Whistles – necklaces fashioned after the whistles given to children on the front lines of conflict in the Congo region, each purchase supports local Congo communities
• Our Spare Change – each piece made from repurposed coins and is handcrafted with inspirational messages
• Mercy Ships – jewelry that goes toward providing free medical care for those in need
• The Skipping Stone – jewelry (and bags and journals) that help bring freedom to those oppressed by extreme poverty and sex trafficking in Northern India

Mercy Ships

Our Spare Change

Falling Whistles

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Watches. Like jewelry for men

• 1:Face – sleek and modern, also supporting 6 charity initiatives and each different colored watch band represents a different cause.
• We Wood – buy a cool wooden watch, plant a tree (also eyewear, suspenders, and even a wooden bow tie? not sure about that last one)

1:face

We Wood

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It’s winter, but you’ll still need sunglasses at some point

• Capital Eyewear – cool lookin and proceeds help support young entrepreneurs
• Proof Glasses – both for sun and for just seeing, the proceeds from these glasses go towards all sorts of good causes, nature conservation, eye clinics in India, El Salvador community projects, and more!
• Warby Parker – with every glasses (or sunglasses) purchase, another pair is donated to someone in need. Also they have a real cool home try-on system they do
• Solo Eyewear – each pair of sunglasses is named for the country where the company funds restorative eye care. Also eco friendly!

Capital Sunglasses

Solo Glasses

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Candles and soaps that smell good and do good

• Preemptive Love Coalition – soaps, candles, and handmade gifts made by women in Iraq who lost everything to ISIS
• Prosperity Candle – made to order candles that employs women artisans from around the world and care that you know the girl who poured it.
• Fiddlefish Candles – upcycled, organic, environment-saving candles that smell real nice
• Soapbox Soaps – all-natural, cruelty-free soaps that with each purchase, soap is donated

Prosperity Candle

Preemptive Love Coalition

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Apparel to look stylish

• Sevenly Shirts – shop by shirt or shop by cause, with all shirt purchases going to different causes
• Out of Print – Mainly clothing, but some real cool totes too. All merchandise displays classic artwork from classic books. Their mission states that “each purchase helps to fund literacy programs and book donations to communities in need”
• Outer Known Clothing – fair trade, good lookin clothes for men
• Love Your Melon Beanies – this company started with the goal of “putting a hat on every child battling cancer in America”. 50% of every dollar spent goes toward fighting pediatric cancer
• Cotopaxi – mostly apparel (also backpacks and travel gear) that fund sustainable poverty alleviation
• Givida Activewear – women’s activewear that provide meals to others!
• Sseko Designs – shoes, bags, apparel, and jewelry all handcrafted in Uganda
• Slumlove Sweaters – sweaters (and other producs) that are made in Kenya, environmentally friendly, and give back to provide high school scholarships to those in need
• Teysha Shoes – women-run, Guatemala based, artisan designed company that make some cool women’s boots, shoes, and slippers
• Mission Belt – cool leather belts that provide micro-loans to communities all across the world to help fight hunger and poverty
• Canada Goose Jackets – handmade jackets that contribute to conservation efforts and help at risk Arctic habitats
• Toms – you know em, you love em, and they do more than shoes! Bags, apparel, and sunglasses—all with each purchase helping a person in need.
• Conscious Step Socks – each pair goes toward supporting one of seven different humanitarian and environmental causes
• Bombas Socks – their website says, “Socks remain the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. So for every pair of Bombas you purchase, we donate a pair to someone in need”
• Sunday Tracker – ethically and sustainably produced beach items! Like bags, hats, sandals, towels, and more. It’s never too late to plan for summer
• People Tree – fair trade and good lookin clothes

Conscious Step Socks

Teysha Shoes

Canada Goose Jackets

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If you’re a writer, here are some things

• Seltzer Goods – Known for their seven-year pens (but also having cards, bags, mugs, and more) this company gives lots of their profits back to environmental causes
• Denik Journals – designed by artists from around the world, these journals’ profits also help build schools in impoverished nations
• Better World Books – if you like used book shopping, shop here! Proceeds go towards fighting illiteracy
• Sprout Pencils – the world’s first sustainable pencil! Woah. Plant your pencil stub when it is too short to write or color with – and watch it grow into herbs, flowers or vegetables.
• Good Paper – handcrafted and hand signed cards made by either women who’ve escaped sex trafficking in the Philippines or young adults orphaned by disease in Rwanda. Also lots of good puns and I’m a sucker for good puns

Denik Journals

Sprout Pencils

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If you like music

• LSTN Sound Co – cool lookin wireless headphones, speakers, and earbuds and they provide hearing aids to people in need
• Vibes Earplugs – I realize earplugs seem like exactly what you don’t want if you love music. But here’s their website: “Vibes are designed to enhance your live music experience. They lower decibel levels of your environment without sacrificing sound clarity. You hear true natural sound the way it was intended: clear, clean, controlled.” And each purchase supports the Hear the World Foundation!
• Vers Speakers – cool wooden design, sustainable, repurposed. Seriously what more could you want

Vers Speakers

LSTN Headphones

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If you are sporty or like the outdoors

• Volo Soccer Balls – Fair Trade, customizable soccer balls!
• One World Futbol – a buy-one-give-one soccer ball organization
• Salemtown Skateboards – these boards create jobs for young men who need them
• Bureo Skateboards – this company is on a mission to prevent plastic from being in oceans. Each board is made by recycled fishing net so that’s a cool thing
• Kammok – hammocks, backpacks, sleeping bags, and all sorts of outdoor gear that “empowers youth with outdoor education and mentorship”
• Greenstar Bike – Affordable and environmentally friendly bamboo bikes. They also look really cool.
• Yellow Leaf Hammocks – every hand-woven hammock directly supports artisan employment and creates a path out of poverty
• United By Blue – lots of outdoor things (backpacks, clothes, hats, socks, and more) and for each product sold, this company removes one pound of trash from the world’s oceans and waterways

Greenstar Bikes

Yellow Leaf Hammocks

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Pretty things for your home

• Sackcloth & Ashes Blankets – with every one blanket bought, one is donated to your local homeless shelter. They’re also comfy and stylish and alpaca.
• Local+Lejos – handmade goods from around the world that help support the local artisans and communities. Blankets, bowls, pillows, baskets and more!
• Papirmass Art Subscription – every month get new artwork to display and support independent, emerging artists! Wow that’s cool
• The Citizenry – globally inspired home décor from all across the globe that helps local artisans and communities
• Causebox – “A seasonal delivery of 6-8 hand-curated products for women. Every product has a story and makes the world better.”

Sackcloth and Ashes

also Sackcloth and Ashes

 

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Coffees

• Fire Dept. Coffee – these beans, sourced from environmentally friendly farms, help support firefighter and veteran assistance programs. There are even mugs and shirts if you’re feelin crazy
• Axium Coffee – coffee from all around the world that helps orphans find homes
• Farmer’s Market Coffee – “Every delicious cup helps transform poor communities that depend on their coffee crop to feed their families.”

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Water Bottles. Literally everyone drinks water

• Soma – each purchase of one of these water bottles, pitchers, or filters goes toward bringing safe drinking water to the whole world
• S’well – parterns with charities to give back and also eco-friendly.

S’well

Soma

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Stores with a lot of things

• Apolis Global – specializing in personalized bags and apparel (but also with other gifty things), this company creates jobs around the world and that’s really neat.
• Thistle Farms – their mission is “to heal, empower, and emply women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction”. They have a little bit of everything—soaps, apparel, jewelry, candles, and more!
• Unicef Market – they have a little bit of everything. Shop by price, theme, occasion, or region where the gift was made. All purchases go toward saving children’s lives across the world
• Shinola – journals, watches, bikes, and jewelry, what’s not to love

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Two more things

• WakaWaka – solar chargers, flashlights, portable power, and more that help give solar-chargers to at-need communities in the developing world
• LottoLove – scratch off lottery tickets, but instead of money for you, it’s a charitable gift for those in need. Also everyone wins

LottoLove

Waka Waka Solar Powered Charger

So Much Depends on a Red Door

Over the weekend I saw the film It Comes at Night. There’s a lot I could say about this film (I liked it a lot) but there’s one thing that it left me thinking. (I wont spoil anything for those that haven’t seen it I promise. Although I you might want to watch the preview right now for at least a bit of context)

The movie’s ending is pretty unusual for a thriller. There is no big reveal in the last act (à la Get Out). There is no satisfying conclusion (à la Silence of the Lambs). There is no crazy plot twist (of course à la Shyamalan). The ending is pretty confusing, but in a good way.

Director Trey Edward Shults says in an interview “A lot of questions are left unanswered. That is intentional. I will say I left things the way they are for a reason and I hope it sticks with you. I hope it doesn’t frustrate.”

To me these unanswered questions didn’t frustrate. They made me think.

Here is my consolidated thought process: What was the filmmaker’s purpose with leaving out those important plot details? I guess they weren’t that important. Then what was important? The message of the movie. What was the message? Was there even a message? Cuz it seemed pretty hopeless. Something like that.

Vox opened their article on the movie with this: “So much depends on a red door in the highly anticipated new horror film It Comes at Night. So much that when that solitary door is inevitably left open, it becomes a red scare: a symbolic catalyst for the collapse of a micro-society built on fear.”

A micro-society built on fear.

That’s why the questions are unanswered—to leave room for the audience to think about this commentary which is brilliantly illustrated in the movie. Commentary that, to me, is pertinent to the state of my own society.

Using Vox’s rhetoric, I would not call America a “society built on fear”. But I would call it a society that is moving steadily toward making decisions out of fear.

Here is where I see that fear the most in our society:

1. Conservatives fearing the foreigner
2. Liberals fearing the next 3.5 years

It’s so easy for me to look at the opposing viewpoint and recognize what they’re doing wrong. It’s harder to look at myself and truthfully examine if fear is controlling my thought.

Is my fear rational?

Does it stem from emotion or from reason?

Is it grounded in information or prejudice?

Am I fearful simply because others are?

These questions should be asked of the two examples I mentioned by name, but that’s not where they should stop.

It’s easy for me to (judgmentally) answer those questions for others, but it’s not so easy for myself. It’s easy to brush these questions aside because of my pride or apparent self-knowledge. It’s hard for me to really really think about these questions as they apply to my own fears. It’s hard but necessary and I’d implore you all to do the same.

A society based on fear crumbles. This film is a frightening, gruesome, but relevant illustration of that.

I’ll close with a tweet from Dan Harmon that really stuck out to me as a Christian who is observing and struggling with fear and society right now: “if fear can enter your heart, does it take up space that would otherwise be God’s?”

Unconditional

Katy Perry is getting worse and worse by the day, but let me tell you my least favorite thing she’s ever done. She’s been called racist, a liar, a stealer, even this weird thing that creeps me out immensely:

but I just want to take a second to acknowledge how she can’t even say words right.

Everyone knows the accented syllable in the word ‘unconditional’ is the UN. Well frickin Katy tries not once, but TWICE to get this pronunciation right AND FAILS BOTH TIMES. She begins her song “Unconditionally” by screlting ‘uncondiSHUNal’ aka not where the syllabic stress goes at all. She then tries to redeem herself by pronouncing it ‘unCUNditionally’ which is definitely even worse and actually incredibly unnatural to verbalize.

Now for the embarrassingly loose connection to what I actually want to talk about:

People have a very hard time with unconditional love.

‘People’ meaning people in the general sense but also ‘people’ being me.

By definition, unconditional love should literally mean love with no conditions. None. Nary. But people tend to attach so many conditions to love.

Love, but on the one condition you voted for Hillary.

Love, but on the one condition you are conservative.

Love, only until you make a racist comment.

Love, with the one condition you are pro-life.

Love, but as long as I don’t have to bake a cake for your wedding.

Even one seemingly small condition exceeds the definition of ‘unconditional’.

John Huckins is a cofounder of the Global Immersion Project, a “peacemaking training organization that exists to renovate and activate the US American Church as an instrument of peace”. One of their experiences they offer is the Immigrant’s Journey Immersion Trip, which focuses on learning the human face of immigration, and includes bringing water to different points throughout the desert specifically for people crossing the border. Tens of thousands of immigrants have died trying to cross the border and their goal is to love and literally save the lives of these travelers. Huckins realizes this can be viewed as very controversial, but here is what he says about peacemaking and unconditional love:

“It’s costly. When I think about moving towards polarizing issues, I have received more critique and borderline hatred than I ever have in my life by choosing the way of peace because it’s so counter cultural, so counter-American empire, counter-American Christianity.”

Preston Sprinkle (yes, haha. His last name is sprinkle) is a writer, speaker and PhD (that’s right. Doctor Sprinkle). He says, “Don’t buy the lie that if you love people too much, you must not care about sin. The gospel teaches us otherwise. Jesus cared so much about sin that he surrounded himself with sinners”.

So yes, let’s look at Jesus real quick. For the sake of what I’m trying to say, we’ll replace “sin” with something like “one lifestyle that is egregiously different from another’s” (because things like being conservative or liberal are most certainly not sins, as much as some say otherwise…)

Dr. Sprinkle (which truly sounds like the name of a birthday party clown. Sorry Preston.) is right—Jesus did surround himself with people that other Jews NEVER would have hung out with.

Only these people back in Jesus’ day are bit different than those people we’d think of today. For example, below are a few verses where Jesus shows love to tax collectors, some of the most despised people in Jesus’ day. (The tax collector is just one example of shunned people groups Jesus would hang out with: prostitutes, lepers, Pharisees, adulterers, the list goes on.) But since tax-collectors are a bit archaic in today’s time, I spiced the verses up a little. Not to be plagiaristic or sacrilegious, I just want to illustrate what some people might view as today’s version of a tax-collector:

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a refugee who was living on the streets. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of an immigrant.'” (Luke 19:1-7 sorta)

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a Trump supporter by the name of Levi… ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5:27-28 sorta)

“While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many gay men and women were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with gay men and women, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with homosexuals?'” (Mark 2:15-16 sorta)

In Matthew Perryman Jones’ song “Land of the Living”, the chorus starts, “You cannot love in moderation”.

To me, Jesus most certainly does not love in moderation. He makes no conditions in loving, even the most rejected groups of his day. I want to follow that example of love, which is truly unconditional—no matter how you pronounce it.

I’m Often Very Wrong

I’ve grown up in a fairly wealthy white home. And I attended a primarily white, wealthy private school. Now I’m at a majority white private university. I have mostly white friends. And the black friends I do have are pretty affluent. I was told to not see color. Everyone is equal. People are people.

All these things contributed to how I viewed race in America. These experiences, conversations, and attitudes, while not necessarily bad, were all the information I had to come to the brilliant conclusion that I lived in a post-racial country. We are all equal now. How nice.

But, like most things, I found myself to be very very wrong. Even though I definitely wish I wasn’t.

One really cool thing about college is that it’s basically one giant dogpile of different life experiences and stories and people. Through so many interactions I’ve been encouraged to seek experiences not just contained in my own comfortable, idealized niche.

I would not consider myself a racist. I think most of us save that term for KKK members or slave owners or perhaps a professor that still refers to Native Americans as redskins (true story. yikes).

But here’s the thing. In the past few years, I’ve sadly learned that the America I live in is systematically racist. It is a deeply rooted problem that our country was built on (literally America was founded by slaughtering Native Americans. And slavery). And being Caucasian means I have—knowingly or not—contributed to that racism. I have benefited from supremacist systems that are still at play in the US. And My upbringing did not equip me to see all the oppression still present in America.

True, we don’t have Jim Crow laws or lynching anymore and that is a beautiful thing. America has undoubtedly progressed. But we have still not come to the post-racial society many believe we are in.

To my black friends: Call me out. I am still growing and learning. I want to fight against my own privilege. I want to know when I’m doing things wrong.

To my white friends: I definitely know this was an extraordinarily brief intro to the situation and I didn’t do a good job of explaining its extremity. But it is so important to know what’s going on. To know why and how you are benefitting in this system of privilege. Yeah, it’s uncomfortable to hear about, but I can’t articulate how important it is to be informed. So here is some homework:

• LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST! It is a brilliant introduction to the idea of the black experience and racism in America. Even if you do nothing else with anything I’ve said, listen to this podcast. It’s so important. If an hour and a half seems like a big investment of time, suck it up and listen anyways. (also you can get it through the podcast app on your phone if you wanna do some portable listening)

• Watch The documentary 13^th (on Netflix) that examines a smaller facet of this bigger problem. Another movie that looks incredibly important dealing with the history of racism in America is I Am Not Your Negro (it hasn’t been widely released yet but you bet your bottom dollar I’ll be there when it is).

• Read books. Trouble I’ve Seen, Between The World and Me, Rescuing Jesus, just to name a few. And in the description of the podcast (link above) there is a list of so many more books to inform yourself.

Like I said, I am still growing. I am still learning. I am still correcting my wrong. I am no expert on this subject, nor can I ever fully understand it, but I’m trying. I don’t know what next steps look like, but know I am listening and open and I hope people want to walk alongside me.

***This post and the references focus in on black/white racism, but that doesn’t discount all other races oppressed under racialized systems. Because yes, now more than ever, those of Arab, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent are also under deep systematized oppression. Just know these groups (and many more I didn’t name) are not forgotten or ignored.***

Best of 2016

25. Coloring Book

With his prayerful, thought-provoking lyrics, in this album, Chance the Rapper discusses so many important things that lots of rappers are afraid to tackle—faith and life and justice and heartache and so much more. He even covers Chris Tomlin, so that’s very neat. With this genre-defying album, Chance is definitely changing music and I am so happy to be a part of that change.

24. HARDLOVE

This sixth album from NEEDTOBREATHE is just different enough from their previous five to keep it from being stale, but without completely changing who they are. Their artful and profound lyrics along with their bright melodies and of course Bear Rinehart’s voice just make me smile real big and want to dance around a lot. Six albums in and not once has NEEDTOBREATHE disappointed.

23. Chef’s Table

So you are probably like ‘isn’t this a cooking documentary? That’s lame’. Let me be the first to say IT IS NOT LAME IT’S BEAUTIFUL. It’s so much more than a cooking show. This gorgeously shot Netflix documentary series explores not only food, but different cultures, breathtaking locations, and the hilarious, extraordinary, bizzare, and touching lives and stories of amazing humans around the world. Being in the arts myself, I never would have considered cuisine an artistic endeavor. BUT this series provokes a deep appreciation for food as an art form — an appreciation I never would have had without this show.

22. Light Up The Sky

The Dunwells are an English indie/folk rock band that are absolutely a pleasure to listen to. Consistent and tight harmonies, passionate lyrics and vocals, and their wonderful blending of genres add to the fun of this album. Oh yeah and their accents are cool. It’s just some really good music that’s what it is.

 

21. Westworld

Yeah everyone is talking about it, and I have to agree that they are talking about it for a reason. It’s real good. This television show is completely engaging, brilliantly acted, and totally transported me to another world. It expertly combines the wild west and sci-fi genres to create a wonderfully original premise. And did I mention the acting is fantastic?

20. 10 Cloverfield Lane

I really love this franchise. And J.J. Abrams. The whole movie was wonderful and surprising and tense and with Cloverfield being a favorite of mine, the ending was exactly what I was hoping for and absolutely so satisfying.

19. Hacksaw Ridge

An artful and pretty graphic look at war and faith and love. Based on true events, this movie tells a pretty important story. Oh and also Andrew Garfield is amazing.

18. Beyond Control

King’s Kaleidoscope’s worshipful, passionate, and personal lyrics don’t just cover worship and wonder, they cover doubt, questions, and pain. It’s a beautiful album from beginning to end, not just throwing music at you, but telling a story the whole way through.

17. Stranger Things

Another thing everyone is talking about. Still. There’s really not much to say except watch it if you haven’t already.

16. Let A Lover Drown You

Penny and Sparrow makes some of my favorite type of music—acoustic, ethereal, peaceful, haunting harmonies, and beautiful lyrics. This third album of theirs has all that plus large string sections, tambourines, smooth falsettos, prominent guitar, and so much more. Please listen to this.

15. Sing Street

If you love Once, I think you’ll love this movie. I did. It’s a coming of age story about a group of Dublin kids forming a band to impress a girl. The synopsis sounds a tad simple, but let me tell you the movie is not. It’s beautifully truthful and the music is wonderful and it’s just really fun. Oh also it’s on Netflix, so there’s another reason to go watch it.

14. Reply All

So this podcast isn’t like a ‘2016’ thing, but it’s continued producing great content over the year that I have enjoyed so much. It’s an incredibly interesting podcast about the internet and stories that emerge from technology. I’ve laughed out loud, been astounded, moved to tears, and everything in between. The episodes range in topic, but they are always fascinating.

13. Captain America: Civil War

This was just a really good superhero movie. Nothing subtle or intricately artful about it. And I loved every second of it. I love superhero movies, especially in the Marvel Universe, so this had basically all the people I love in one movie. It was a treat.

12. Wild Swan

Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance’s third album is one of those rare albums that gets better every time I listen to it. Yes, his beautiful growl of a voice hooks you, but its his heartfelt, personal, poetic, uplifting lyrics that keep you there.

 

11. Tickled

One of the most bizarre and surreal things I’ve ever seen. What makes it crazier is that it’s true. This documentary follows journalist David Farrier and his inspection of a weird online discovery: ‘competitive endurance tickling’. What starts as a weird silly discovery morphs into an engrossing web of resistance, lies, and even more questions. If there is such thing as a thriller documentary, this is it. My jaw dropped so many times in this film—this is a story you really need to see to believe.

10. Trouble I’ve Seen

While being one of the few books I read this year, it is one of my favorites I’ve read ever. The author Drew Hart has the tagline as “Changing the way the church views racism”. This heart wrenching, transformative book challenged me in ways I hadn’t before been challenged. At times it even made me a bit uncomfortable, but the good kind of uncomfortable that inspires change when it needs to happen. This book is incredibly important.

9. Moana

I definitely teared up during this movie. And not even at the story, but just at the animation. It’s beautiful to watch, listen to, and be a part of. If you are looking for the best animated movie of the year, this one is it (Zootopia fans, I’m lookin at you).

 

 

8. Georgica Pond

For those who don’t know husband and wife duo Johnnyswim, listen to this. Please. Dang do they both have some pipes, but their lyrics are also so intimate and beautiful. From singing about each other, to their journey of joys and hardships, to their child, these two will make you feel lots of emotions. Good ones though.

 

7. Hunt For The Wilderpeople

After I saw this movie, I immediately wanted to watch it again. About a child and a grumpy old man who find themselves on the run in the wilderness of New Zealand. This movie filled me with joy from start to finish and I don’t think I stopped grinning the entire time. I hate to say it, but even though the child actors in Stranger Things absolutely rocked it, I think the boy in this movie takes the cake (@ me I dare you).

6. The Liturgists Podcast

This is a pretty intellectual, but still relatable podcast that takes a look at current issues and examines them through the three different lenses of science, faith, and art. This year they had truly fascinating discussions on suffering, the Enneagram, racism, storytelling, religious art, and so many more important conversations. I learn a lot but also I’m challenged to examine my thoughts on different topics.

5. 13^th

Another INCREDIBLY important work of art from this past year. It examines the prison system and its relation to racism in America. It was shocking, deeply saddening, and incredibly well researched and produced. It does quickly cover the history of America’s prison system and racism, but it mostly is about today and the corruption and bigotry that is hiding right under our noses. Do yourself a favor and watch this please. It’s on Netflix yay!

4. Arrival

It’s a captivating film that follows Amy Adams as she tries to communicate with strange aliens that have mysteriously showed up across the globe. I always introduce it as “an alien movie but it’s not even about aliens”. It’s about humans and our own relationships and stories. It’s also one of those movies where at the end you are like flipping out in your seat because you are trying to comprehend what just happened. It’s absolutely stunning to watch and experience and I can’t do it justice explaining it, you just need to go see it.

3. La La Land

I walked out of Arrival saying that it was going to be my favorite movie of the year. Until I saw this movie. Twice. And loved it even more the second time. This romanticized and transportive movie musical reminds me why I do what I do and inspired me to keep doing it. The story is magical and inspirational, the music is beautiful, the dancing is incredibly fun and makes me wish I could do it, and Emma Stone’s performance is maybe one of the best things I’ve seen done on screen. All artists need go watch this movie. But actually everyone go and watch it. Probably multiple times.

2. Black Mirror (season 3)

This has been probably my favorite series since Season One, and this year’s release of Season 3 did not disappoint. It actually exceeded expectations. This show, for those who haven’t seen it, takes an unsettling look at technology, usually set in the near or sometimes distant future. It requires the viewer to think about their own relationship with technology and its destructive and often disturbing side. The creativity of the episodes never ceases to astound me nor do the talent of the actors. Please watch if you have not. (DISCLAIMER: Each episode is stand alone with a whole new set of characters, so there is no need to watch in order. In fact, I would encourage watching out of order, because the first episode doesn’t set up the series quite well enough. Oh this is on Netflix too!)

1. Human Condition

I wrote a whole blog post about this album and how amazing it is. So go find that and read it. But yeah it’s number one. Tada.

 

Afflicted, But Not Crushed

When I think of Christian persecution I think of Nero. I think of the pre-saved Saul on the road to Damascus headed to slaughter all followers of Christ he could find. I think of 3^rd and 4^th century Rome before Constantine when Christians were banned, sacrificed, and tortured.

Why do I not think of today?

This past week, my heart has been aching for my brothers and sisters in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, or really anywhere ISIS has seized control. The mission since their rise around 2013 has been to seek out and completely eliminate all other religious groups, especially Christians—and in a manner so brutal that they separated from Al-Qaeda because they were thought to be “too extreme”.

Just in 2016 alone, ISIS has caused and inspired the deaths of over 1,200 and injured over 2,700 and holds countless numbers of men, women, and children in hostage and slavery. The UN called The Islamic State’s reign of terror “the worst humanitarian crisis of our modern era.”

So what do we do? How do we react? ‘We’ can mean individual Christians, the church as a whole, Americans, really anyone whose heart breaks because of the violence and death happening in the world.

An Iraqi Christian soldier named Sadiq, upon detaining a few ISIS leaders outside of Fallujah, recognized one of them. He was the same ISIS officer that had brutally executed his friend for a propaganda video. “You killed my friend,” Sadiq went up to him, “But I’ve come here to feed you.”

“ISIS beheads and burns its enemies. That’s why we must feed and clothe ours.” This is how we react.

Samar’s doubts about her faith were reaffirmed when she heard the radical claims of ISIS. “I thank God for ISIS, because they opened my eyes to the truth.” In the midst of persecution and heartache, she now spreads peace and love.

“ISIS distorts faith to justify killing. That’s why we must seek the best of faith to preserve life and overcome corrupted religion.” This is how we react.

What about the 11-year old Raed who was taken away from his parents and forced into an ISIS brainwashing camp? Rescued since, he recounts “I started believing the things they taught me. Many of the kids in the camp have been indoctrinated.” What about the men who are forced into the choice of joining ISIS or having their family killed? What about the impoverished father who only fights to put food on the table for his children? Sadly, stories like these are not uncommon.

“ISIS treats its enemies as monsters or animals—which is precisely why we must not…No to collective punishment and the presumption of guilt.” This is how we react.

Clothing and feeding enemies, preserving a religion of love, and erring on the side of grace are great things to do, but they do not directly or immediately help with the horror happening on the other side of the world. So what else?

This cry for help from an Iraqi nun really jolted me,

“It’s shocking to me that [Americans] are so silent in the face of our genocide. Please help us. Raise your voice for us. Our children are dying. In America, you care for your pets so well, can you care for your Christian brothers and sisters who are suffering?”

We can always raise our voices for them. While a blog or Facebook post doesn’t directly save lives, it lets them know we are alongside them every step of the way and are always praying and thinking about them.

We can always listen—become informed of their stories. When I am going through something, I find the most comfort in someone who will truly listen and make me feel loved.

We can always mourn with them. Poet Amena Brown in her beautiful spoken word piece Advent for Weary Souls says, in reference to the injustice happening in the world, “we have lost our ability to mourn with those who mourn; see injustice with disgust.” Even more powerful than listening is mourning alongside our dying brothers and sisters.

We can always be angry. Like Jesus when merchants defiled the temple, we should be enraged at injustice. Yes, we show grace and compassion, but anger does not have to be an antithesis to love. Even the Bible encourages righteous anger as long as “in your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

We can always seek justice, even though I don’t really know what that physically looks like for me. What I do know is that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven” towards those who “suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18).

So this is me, raising my voice for my brothers and sisters in torture, slavery, imprisonment, suppression, hiding, mourning, sadness, sickness, despair, doubt, and confusion. Their compassion reminds me to love my enemies. Their questioning makes me long for truth. Their painful journeys urge me to listen to others.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

 

Some things I used:

“‘Isis Opened My Eyes’: Samar’s Story”

“Loving Your Enemy, Even When It’s ISIS”

“What Can Be Done About ISIS?”

“Iraq Feature: The Yazidi Boys Forced Into ISIS Training Camps”

“List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL”

Advent For Weary Souls 

“The Yazidi Women Who Escaped ISIS”

The Bible.

Another Year, Another Nickel

Last year at Line Camp (a sort of initiation/orientation before you start Baylor) I was fortunate enough to get the great Nathan Elequin as my line camp leader. He has a seemingly never-ending passion for service, Baylor, and for others. This passion was my first introduction to the extraordinary place that Baylor is.

After Line Camp, Nathan emailed our small group (long live the Dough) with a set of prompts. Things like writing down or fears, excitement, questions we may have, etc.

In purging my inbox before the upcoming school year, I found this email. Here is what I was feeling just weeks before starting my first year of college:

“It kinda pains my heart to be leaving home. Yes, I am overjoyed about Baylor and I have been completely affirmed that it’s where I need to be. But it seems so scary to be leaving familiarity. And it seems cruel to have to leave behind the people who have shaped me into who I am today. I hope and pray (and half-know) that I will fall in love with Baylor and the people here as much as I have fallen in love with the friends back home. As Winnie the Pooh so expertly states, ‘how lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard’.”

That’s right.

A Pooh quote.

After the first semester, he sent a follow up email asking some of the same questions. This time I said, “I feel so content. More than content, actually. At peace. First semester was one of the most amazing, life changing, and life shaping few months of my life.”

Oh how much can change in one semester.

As I get ready for Sophomore year to start, I just wanted to take the time to thank a few people who helped this reluctant, scared freshman make the transition to this eager, confident sophomore.

Thank you Nathan. Thank you for initiating my love for Baylor. At first I thought you were a bit crazy for loving this university so much, but now I completely get it.

Thank you Dough. Thank you for being my first friends. You all make me feel loved and supported and safe and I am so grateful for you.

Thank you BUT19. I also thought you guys were a bit crazy, but now I have no idea what I’d do without you. You are my home away from home. Y’all still crazy though.

Thank you professors. Thank you for seeing me as a person and not a seat number. Thank you for encouraging both learning and laughter in your classrooms. Thank you for the invites to your homes and wanting to make me the best I can be.

Thank you to all the student and grad directors I got to work with. Thank you for your hard work. You all are excellent models of leadership and I am so grateful to have learned from you.

Thank you Daniel Dardaman. Thank you for being the familiar face to go to when I needed comfort. Thank you for our weekly lunches and for your genuine care for me.

Thank you to friends and family back home. Thank you for loving me from afar. Thank you for your random texts, calls, emails, letters, packages, birthday videos, visits, and Facetimes. It is so comforting to know that I have you all as my home to come back to.

Thank you mom and dad. Thank you two for doing literally everything for me—comforting, paying for things, giving advice, listening, visiting—I could sit here all day and list them out. The bottom line is, thank you for your love. I don’t deserve it, but I get it. Thank you.

I look forward to what my second year holds. I know it will be difficult, but it gives me encouragement to know that I won’t be doing it alone.

The Land Where The Artists Play

Jon Bellion inspires me.

I’ve been a long-time fan of his, but his most recent album, The Human Condition, has blown me away.

Yes, the artistry is brilliant. And if you watch any of his behind the scenes videos on YouTube, you’ll immediately understand how musically gifted he is. Each song on the album is unique, intricate, and beautifully layered with sound.

I could go on forever about the music side of things—how unbelievably talented Bellion is or how beautiful the album sounds—but the thing that inspires me the most about his new album is its story and lyrics.

The album’s title, The Human Condition, comes from its exploration through what makes us human, both the good and the bad.

In one of his songs, “Fashion”, Bellion grieves our materialistic need for more while we are never satisfied with what we have.

In “Overwhelming” he basks in the love he has for his girlfriend, overwhelmed by her beauty inside and out.

“Morning in America” talks about how everyone is “secretly out of control”, forced to suffocate in their problems because everyone tries to appear perfect on the outside.

In addition to these topics, he covers social media, family, suicide, fame, faith, death, life, addiction, beauty, girl troubles (he’s apparently had a lot of those), girl triumphs, and so much more.

Okay, this is where I just love it. I love this. The last song on the album is “Hand of God (Outro)”. Interposed in this epic conclusion are snippets of lyrics and musical themes from the other tracks on the album, causing the listener to think back on all the problems and joys and struggles and blessings inherent to the human condition that Bellion sings about throughout the album. In the chorus of this final song, first Bellion, then the Andrae Crouch choir (the same choir you hear on MJ’s “Man in the Mirror”, so that’s pretty sick) provides his solution to the human condition and expertly ties together the entire album:

“Tears at a funeral, tears at a funeral, I might break.

Angry at all the things, angry at all the things I can’t change.

When you’re lost in the universe, lost in the universe don’t lose faith.

My mother says, ‘Your whole life’s in the hand of God’”.

This is precisely what I want to do with my art.

Not necessarily compose, sing, mix, and produce an album that reaches number two on the charts, but I want my art to be a vessel for truth.

Yes, in this album there is cussing, crude lyrics, and questionable stories. Bad decisions are a part of everyone’s life—Bellion just chooses to acknowledge his own publicly. The key, however, is that he doesn’t focus on them. He instead focuses on love, hope, and redemption.

There are plenty of polite, non-controversial plays out there, and there is nothing wrong with those. In my art of theater, however, I seek to present truth through acknowledging adversity, not through ignoring it. I want to explore all the hardship and mess-ups of life, to challenge others, to honestly represent humanity. But through all of that, I most want the light of truth to shine through what I do.

This album gets me fired up—yes, because the songs are pretty LIT, but also because it mirrors what I want to do with my own art.

As I further my education (and later my career) in the industry of entertainment, these lyrics from Bellion’s “New York Soul pt. ii” perfectly echo my feelings:

“Dropped off in the land where the artists play

Where God’s way is the hardest way.

Told myself I’m keeping my faith,

if it costs me my reputation, then take it, I’ll give it all away.”

Don’t Be A Janice (apologies to all the Janices)

I want to say something real briefly about disagreement. Perhaps it won’t be brief. Feel free to scroll down to check the length of the post to determine if you’ll read or just skim.

I had a scintillating conversation the other day with a very strongly opinionated woman at work. It was truly an interesting conversation where we covered everything from celebrity crushes to God and the Bible. I enjoyed a lot of it, but one thing that kept nagging at me was her extraordinarily forceful opinions.

Two things I noticed during this conversation:

1. Whenever I felt the same way about a topic as she, I felt a surge of success, like I had finally risen up to her standards. When she exclaimed her undying adoration for “Inside Out” I erupted in a yell, “I LOVE THAT MOVIE TOO” just out of the mere excitement of being able to relate to her. It made me feel intelligent agreeing with her.
2. Whenever I disagreed with something, I fell silent. She stated her opinions with such vigor and confidence, I felt that disagreeing would set myself up as an idiotic youth with no common sense or intelligence whatsoever. For example, when she expressed her disgust for Leonardo DiCaprio, my humble respect for him felt tremendously inferior to her edict of disdain.

In stating one’s beliefs in any form, it is so easy to be this person—let’s call her Janice.

I do not want to be a Janice.

I want this blog to be more than me on a soapbox. I want it to stimulate thought, introspection, and discussion. The first step in a disagreement should be conversation rather than conversion. Of course because it is my blog, I will write what I believe is true. But I wish to do it in a way that opens up conversation, not in a way that minimizes or deprecates.

It is my goal that I do not morph into a Janice.