So this guy comes up to me and says, "What's the vision? What's the big idea?" I open my mouth and words come out like this...
The vision? The vision is Jesus: obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus. The vision is an army of young people. You see bones? I see an army.
And they are free from materialism. They laugh at 9-5 little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday. They wouldn't even notice. They know the meaning of the Matrix; the way the West was won.
They are mobile like the wind; they belong to the nations. They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. They are free, yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision? The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause. A million times a day its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great "Well done" of faithful sons and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night.
They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"
And this is the sound of the underground The whisper of history in the making Foundations shaking Revolutionaries dreaming once again Mystery is scheming in whispers Conspiracy is breathing... This is the sound of the underground.
And the army is disciplined.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission. Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrades at arms. The tattoo on their backs boasts "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.
Winners. Martyrs.
Who can stop them?
Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them?
And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 - 7 - 365.
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mold them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive (on the inside). On the outside? They hardly care! They wear clothes like costumes: to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity? They would lay down their very lives, swap seats with the man on death row; guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses Jesus. (He breathes out, they breathe in.) Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping malls. Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdos! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.
Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.
And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon.
How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God.
My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great "Amen!" from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ himself.
And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
RED IS LOVE 1. Do you love someone? lots of people 2. Do you believe in love at first sight? nope 3. Do you believe in love? just listen to the rhythem of my heart 4. Have you ever been IN love? nah
BLUE IS ANGER 1. Are you currently mad at someone? no 2. Which of your family members has the worst temper? i dunno 3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone? haha yeah 4. Is anyone mad at you? not to my knowledge 5. Have you ever physically hurt anyone when you were mad? yes 6. When you're mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell? depends
YELLOW IS SELF DISCOVERY 1. Name: Casey 2. Birthday: june 10 3. Age: 24 4. Do you want to have children? yeah 5. When do you want to die? on a thursday
ORANGE IS EXCITEMENT 1. Has anyone ever thrown a surprise party for you? no :( 2. If you won a million dollars, who would you tell first? the chanel boutique
GREEN IS OPINIONS 1. Are you against gay marriage? i honestly dont know 2. Lower the drinking age? yes 3. Are you against abortion? yeah
PURPLE IS Q&A Q: How many beds did you lay in today? A: 1 Q: What color shirt are you wearing? A: gray Q: Name one thing that you did today? A: worked Q: How much cash do you have on you right now? A: $15 Q: Is your crush on your friends list? A: I dont have one Q: Look to your left. what do you see? A: lamp (I love lamp) Q: What website do you visit the most? A: myspace/facebook/fashionista Q: Do you have plans for tomorrow? A: Cynthia comes home!!! Q: Does anything hurt you right now? A: back arms feet and legs. thats all. :) Q: Do you own a picture phone? A: geez. it's 2007. yes Q: last time you cried? A: like 3 weeks ago?
PINK IS LAST 1. Movie watched: buffalo '66 (AMAZING) 2. Song you listened to: something by Sugjan S. I dont remember which song 3. Person you talked to: Brittany T
GRAY IS TODAY 1. What are you doing tonight?:I went to a show 2. Who are you going to be with?: people i love
BROWN IS FOR THE FUTURE 1. Tomorrow is: sunday 2. Are you looking forward to it?: yes!!!! CYnthia!!!!! and venture! 3. Plans for this summer? work and school. maybe vegas. prolly la.
So I'm thinking about going back to blogger. The format is better, and I don't have to use a 3rd party image host... but I don't get as much traffic. Is it about traffic? I dunno.
Pine Street Bar & Grill. On Pine Street. In Livermore. You should come if you're over 21 and like good music and good people. The Fair Saints. They make really good music.
We would love to see all of our older special friends at Pine St. Bar and Grill this Saturday, to celebrate life and look for change on the ground with us. Message us for more details, or if you happen to believe that RSVPing is still a polite thing to do.
de/Saints
"On an ounce of whiskey, as a rule, I either get violently sick or I start scanning the room for unbelievers." - JD Salinger
Ok, maybe not, like, ever... but it was an awesome day. It's been a trend lately, no? (I love how French people say "no?" after they make a statement. It's quaint.)
So. I got to sleep til 3.15 and it was glorious... So usually my Sunday's start with Venture instead of ending with it. That's just how it is.
So I went to Peet's, finished my book, and went to Venture. Worship was so awesome. My heart really needed it, really engaged. My heart felt so full after. Still feels so full. The Venture community has really been great... and I need to find a way to give back. Help it grow. I'm not sure how, though... and I'm not getting much feedback.
Soooo, it's Milan men's fashion week right now. It's usually amazing. Lots of beautiful tailoring, rich colors and hot, hot men. Ugh, this week has been a total let down so far. I'm going to post some pictures tomorrow...
