Elevate LA

An Interview With Two Of My Mentors

2012-01-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

Julian Collette is a student of God's that has been on a mission to collect the thoughts and stories of people who live in intentional communities. He rode through LA on a funny bicycle and observed our community here in Pico Union for a few weeks. He attended our insanely crowded dinners with the neighborhood, including our Christmas smorgasbord, and even slept in the Nehemiah House basement. It was a pleasure to have him stay with us. Personally I enjoyed the conversations he and I had about ancient and new monasticism.
All of Julian's interviews are recorded and posted on his site Emerging-Communities.com. In episode 19 he interviews our church's Associate Pastor Scott Yetter and his wife Sarah who lead two ministry houses that we have in the neighborhood (I lived in the Nehemiah House for four years). By clicking on the link above you will be able to listen to their interview with Julian and get an audible glimpse into our lives of ministry here in Los Angeles.
Thank you Julian for visiting us and posting this interview.

Raising Money

2011-09-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

(Nike dunk High Pro SB Ferris Bueller Edition size 11)

These shoes and some of my original artwork are up for auction here.

I realize this post isn't directly about ministry. For that I apologize. Most people reading this blog know all too well that urban ministry doesn't necessarily pay all that well, especially when you're starting out. The sale of these shoes posted above will help keep me afloat for another week so I can focus on modeling leveraging ones resources to put themselves in a better economic position. Not only will this sale help me, but it will help my friend David who has partnered with me to find more shoes to auction off on a regular basis.

Tight Rope by: Brother Ali

2011-07-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

This track is an amazing narrative. I meet people with lives similar to this all the time. The way that Brother Ali has been able to illustrate different people's situations so vividly makes me cry out for those that this song reminds me of. I would say that the picture these lyrics paint is accurate. I agree with many of the morals in this song while others I don't fully agree with. Never the less, this is all very real.

The first verse reminds me a lot of how hard it is for people to immigrate into a country like the U.S. that needs them, but wants to ridicule them. It's hard when you and your family will die or be harmed if you stay in your home land- so you had to leave, and you can't go back. For those of you who have asked what it's like to live and minister in Pico Union, these are things that we all deal with in my neighborhood.

Below is a video with the song and the lyrics under that.

Frigid frozen Minnesota

Chip on his shoulder
Sick sleeping on a pissy sofa
Unwanted visitor in a different culture
Missing home but he can't go, they're civil warin'
Listen solider forget getting over
Prison state around the corner- homless is even closer
Kids with similar skin color still don't even wantcha
Spit and insult ya cause they have been here longer
He leaves his crib he's guaranteed the pigs approach ya
"Where ya going? Where ya from? Any weapons on ya?"
Your family is stressed out your getting older
You don't live the way they did back in Somalia
Its extra difficult to be a daughter
Trying to keep it modest with sinners all around ya
Wear the wrong garment- your parents get an ulcer
If you wrap it up the other children are pickin' on ya

Chorus ( x 2)
Live in two worlds with your eyes closed
Tip toeing on a tight rope
Holding on for survival
Nobody to blame this is just how it goes

Holidays and you know what the business is
You get two birthdays and two Christmases
Older you get you recognize how sick it is
They're trying to cover their guilt with the gifts they give
Bounce from his house to her house
Too bad that marriage didn't work out
Now you don't have a "your house"
Daddy fighting mommy they both tell me they love me
If I get to close to one the other one start acting funny
Ma went and had a baby with a different dad
You act happy to please 'em, but you are really sad
Seeing first hand that family that you will never have
Plus you ain't no real brother, you're just a half
Got to pick up the pieces and move on
Bed time stories and greet them on the phone
Live in two houses and neither one is home
Wishing you were grown have the freedom to get gone

Chorus ( x 2)
Live in two worlds with your eyes closed
Tip toeing on a tight rope
Holding on for survival
Nobody to blame this is just how it goes

Daddy was a preacher momma was a Sunday school teacher
Big brother a football squad leader
Now far be it for you to disappoint or displease them
Your just being what you feel you see in
That mirror every time you peer in
Swallow the tears inside that empty feelin'
Her boy terrified to let the world in
He has girlfriends but doesn't want a girlfriend
He retreats inside himself
Where he lives life itself in secret
Daddy says people go to hell for being
What he is and he certainly believes him
Cause there aint no flame that can blaze enough
To trump being hated for the way you love
And cry yourself to sleep and hate waking up
It's a cold world ya'll shame on us

Chorus ( x 2)
Live in two worlds with your eyes closed
Tip toeing on a tight rope
Holding on for survival
Nobody to blame this is just how it goes

My Faults

2011-07-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

While living a life of ministry a person is constantly faced with an insurmountable amount of needs that are genuinely worthy of their attention. The question is, how do you decide which ones to attend to at any given time when you know that all of the others will go on neglected for that time? I have lived in many places over the years, and made many dear friends. These relationships need to be invested in like anything else. There are many friends and family in multiple places who are not happy with me right now because I have failed them in different ways. I've heard all kinds of advice on this problem, but the truth is that once you give me another task like "drawing healthy boundaries" I have little hope of accomplishing that goal when I'm already drowning in things to do. I'm trying my best to be a good person, someone who keeps their word, a brother to count on. Seriously, the reality is that it's not good enough. This is my sincere observation- not a complaint. I don't know how I'm going to step it up when I'm already pouring out my whole life all the time.
I recognize that the fault is mine. I can't promise that I'll get better or have something new to offer this time around. I am a person in desperate need for grace as I travel this path. Please everyone forgive me. I can't make it up to any of you, but I am asking for grace.
There is no way that I can give up this lifestyle. Regardless of the trials, God has granted me the truth, I have put all of my eggs in this basket, and I am happy with that decision. I will try my best not to fail, but I will inevitably fail as I stay the course.
Please forgive me for the wrong things I have done.

Space To Dream In L.A.

2011-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

(Mama's Hot Tamales)

A person can't have much vision for their own life unless they have space and time to dream. Some people have access to those things more than others. I've noticed in both L.A. neighborhoods of Pico Union and MacArthur Park those two resources are a luxury that almost no one has. God has provided a few places for us to have art shows on a monthly or regular basis. One of those places is Mama's Hot Tamales on 7th Street in MacArthur Park. My friend Evelin and I art trying to offer this space to the artists of our neighborhoods. We are encouraging each-other to direct our energy in a positive and empowering way.

We have a show called Kaleidoscope Hearts featuring a diverse group of artists with many different styles. This show will be up for the whole month of August at Mama's Hot Tamales. For the month of September we are trying to encourage the graffiti artists in the neighborhood to put their canvases up. If you are a graff artist in L.A. please get at me in the comments section.

Community Development Through Art

2011-07-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

(One of the ACEOs I have up for auction for the next 10 days only)

Our identity under God is defined by our ability to be creators amongst many other things. We were designed by God to create as many different kinds of things as there are people, but one category is definitely art. If a person sees their own similarity to God through the work they do it can be a very deep connection to a God that otherwise seems too perfect for us to be anything like. With the arts comes culture, and then identity, a sense of belonging, and if you follow it through to the end it always points to the god that the artist worships. Hopefully their will be more artists acknowledging the true alpha artist of Genesis.

A common concern in my neighborhood here in L.A. is "How are we going to make it today?" Economic pressure is thick on our side of town. Murals, graffiti, music, and other art forms are also a common interest amongst us. (especially in an area where the arts art cut from school budgets) I'm pushing to create a career in the arts not just for myself, but to model hope to my neighbors. God is pushing me to think of unique ways to earn a living through selling used books and creating original art. I'm sure it won't stop there, but one of my ideas is in ACEOs. (Click on the link to discover what ACEOs are if you don't already know) ACEOs are affordable for the artist to make and for everyone to purchase. I have these small original pieces of art up for auction regularly on ebay. To view my auctions at any given time, please click on the "Auctions" link at the top of this blog.

I will check in on this blog with more efforts as the ideas and opportunities come.

My Origianl Art For Sale On EBay

2011-07-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've just listed 10 original Art Trading Cards on EBay starting at $2.99 each! Art Trading Cards are an affordable way to buy and sell original art. All of these cards were hand drawn by me. Check out my EBay store to see all of my ATCs up for auction.

If you're interested in selling your own, please comment on this posting and I will gladly give out more information.

Bid on my auctions

-John T

Books books books!

2010-10-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

(This image is a pictorial illustration of what my life looks like now)

I'll be honest, I really don't like writing support letters or calling supporters who haven't sent their monthly commitment. 20 out of 10 missionaries agree that raising support for the ministry can be an uncomfortable thing for many reasons. I don't like asking for money, especially from people who might not ever see what I do for themselves. I believe I have found one small piece of the solution.

If you look to the right side of this blog, you should see a widget titled "I Recommend." This widget will direct you to books that have helped me in my journey. If you buy any of these books with this widget, I will get a small percentage of the sale. This is just one stream of income that I am positioning myself to receive.

Another stream is an online book store with Amazon.com. I continually work hard to locate books of various values that I can sell on Amazon. If you buy a book from my book store (Kingdom Co-Op), a bigger percentage of the sales will go directly to funding the ministry I have here in Los Angeles. I am also in the process of training people in my neighborhood to build their own book stores so that they can find their place in terms of industry. Please browse through Kingdom Co-Op and see if anything interests you. I will also gladly take any books that could be cluttering your home. Please comment on this post or send me a private message if you would like to set up a book donation with me. Thank you!

The Story of Stuff

2010-06-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Story of Stuff is really the story of most U.S. citizen's budgets- mine included. Of course the following movie isn't unique to just my city of Los Angeles, California, but it's not unique to just the U.S. either. No matter where you're located I invite you to watch the following video, and ask yourself some hard questions about your personal part in the tragic story of stuff. Maybe you're hands aren't as red as mine-if so, encourage the rest of us to take action on the issues below...

Let us remind ourselves that where we spend our dollar and how we spend our time is a much larger vote for either change or destruction. There's a lot at stake here because we cast that vote multiple times a day. Please vote wisely.

O' Little Town of L.A. by: Danielle Bennett

2010-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

O' Little Town of Los Angeles - Spoken Word from UYWI on Vimeo.

Pico Union on BBC Mundo

2010-04-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

BBC Mundo made a small segment about my neighborhood in Los Angeles. It was cool that they showcased the Graff Lab, but I don't think they did it justice. There's a lot of art to see on any given week, and it might take something like a documentary to portray what goes on in the Graff Lab let alone all of Pico Union. If someone wants to provide funds I'll be glad to make that documentary happen.

Buy A Song For Skid Row

2010-03-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

The weakest sector in our society is an indicator of how we are doing as a whole. In Los Angeles we aren't doing so well. Skid Row is an area downtown where the homeless population is swept under the rug not just by our city government, but by our residents too. The church must respond to this. We have a divine mandate to love our neighbors because whatever we have done unto even the least of these we have done unto Christ.

One simple thing that we can do at our computers is buy a song to give financial support to organizations who are trying to uplift humanity in LA. (Another simple thing we can do is look in the eyes of the homeless as we pass by and say hello or shake their hands. Be honest with them, and treat them like the human beings they are. Invite someone to lunch and have a conversation with them. Volunteer time at a mission. Get to know the people in the homeless community. Learn from them.)

Check out the video below...

Thoughts on Lupton's COMPASSION, JUSTICE and the CHRISTIAN LIFE

2009-08-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I read Robert Lupton's book Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor as part of my internship at the Nehemiah House. (Why are the titles on "christian living" books getting longer?) The book is divided into chapters and parts. Pastor Scott Yetter asked us to write down our thoughts on each of the four parts presented so the following is what I turned in with a few additions.

Part I

I was elated (and I don't use that word often) to read the first chapter of Compassion Justice and the Christian Life because it felt like Lupton wanted to break our vision as soon as he could. I assume the idea was to foster a new vision in the church with the rest of the following chapters. Right away he tackles the fact that we have the two greatest commandments strait from Jesus' mouth- love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Collectively, we put these on the shelf, rarely to be practiced. Christ even said that these two commands contain the whole law. How is it that most of us are so guilty of ignoring them? The book focuses more on the second of the two commands. I assume Lupton focuses on loving thy neighbor as a means of loving thy God. Lupton finalizes his charge against the lot of us with the statement, "A Christian training institute (or church for that matter) that steps over these basics on the way to 'deeper' theological pursuits can hardly be considered biblically faithful." (Pg. 17) I want to emphasize that the church is supposed to be a training institution itself. Since we are the church, we need to start with ourselves and base our lives on these two greatest commands rather than ignore them.

Part II

The difference between "betterment" and "development" is something incredibly important to keep in mind while working with communities. "Betterment does for others; development enables others to do for themselves. Betterment improves conditions: development strengthens capacity. Betterment gives a man a fish: development teaches a man how to fish." (pg. 39) Our intentions may be good, but our methods need to be checked regularly. It should be our goal to truly love our neighbors by finding a cure for as many ailments as we can (both theirs and ours). (As Pastor Scott reminds me, often times loving our neighbors means suffering with them rather than finding a cure. This, of course, is very true.) The idea is not to keep them addicted to our medicine. Hopefully those we are helping will be able to walk on their own and do the same for others.

Part III

Recently I heard someone native to another country say that everything in the U.S. is big. He made an accurate observation. Our grocery stores are huge. Our hefty consumption is more than most countries combined. Our churches and community institutions seem to be no different at times. I think one of the scariest things about most mega churches is that they seem to be out of touch with the communities around them. They take the land, and dominate the street parking of the neighborhood all in the name of numbers and raising more money for the latest entertainment technology without ministering to people's most basic needs. "Every community needs healthy institutions. Whether social, religious, educational, recreational, cultural, economic or governmental, institutions provide a society with stability and help preserve its quality of life. No community, however, can become or long remain vital if it is dominated by ever expanding institutions that use up dis proportionate amounts of its land at the expense of its residential fabric. A growing church that tears down houses to expand its parking capacity can find itself at cross-purposes with community health, even as Catholic sisters' treatment center or an expanded homeless shelter can. Their community friendliness depends largely upon the appropriateness of their scale." (Pg. 103) Any community program that pushes residents out and sucks up all of the local resources will find either a neighborhood resistance or silent absence.

Part IV

The word gentrification brings negative thoughts to mind whenever I hear it. Countless conscious hip hop artists speak of it's evils on my media player. In most situations I think I would be very critical if someone spoke of a "gentrification theology," but I think Lupton presents a good argument for it. As stated earlier in the book neighborhoods need diversity of all kinds including economic backgrounds. "We need gentry whose understanding of community includes the less advantaged, who will use their competencies and connections to ensure that their lower-income neighbors share a stake in their revitalizing neighborhood." (pg. 116) This may sound pretty one sided, but it's the "gentry's" job to love their neighbors just as much as it is everyone else's. Why not give everyone a chance to have an exchange in life? It is true that one of the greatest tragedies today is that the rich don't know the poor when they are both so broken. As Scott Yetter stated on my paper, "This reflects true reconciliation where the rich and the poor are changed together." Amen.

New York Trip Fund Raiser June 27th

2009-06-22T23:59:00.001-07:00

On Saturday June 27th our church will be hosting, our own, Tavo and El Milagro live in concert to raise money for our mission trip to Brooklyn, NY. Come out and support ministry all while enjoying great live entertainment. Here's the info:

Location:

1356 S. Albany St.

Los Angeles, CA 90015

Time:

Show starts at 7PM

Price:

$5 at the door

$5 for food

$5 for a CD

It's the 5-5-5 deal! How can you go wrong with that?

Andrew Marin and Chris Huertz Discuss the Issues between the Church and the Gay Community

2009-06-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

This interview is far too short. I respect both of these men a lot, and I wish they went a lot deeper in this video. Never-the-less, I feel like they hit on a few key points, and I posted these videos to get the conversation started amongst myself and you the readers.

Ok, go talk about it with someone.

New York Night '09

2009-06-17T13:29:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night was our team's seceond annual "New York Night" fundraiser. We decorated the church basement to look like a New York subway station. There was food, an art auction, a presentation of what our trip is about and what we will be doing in Brooklyn, and a stock exchange where attendees could buy "stock" in the team members. Many people from the church and beyond came out to support us. We're very thankful to God for giving us an enjoyable night, and for providing prayer as well as more funds for our trip.

Keep praying for us. We need God's presence with us in Brooklyn. We also need about $15,000 to pay off the trip.

(the guys waiting for the their train to come)

(Pastor Doug Moore praying over the team)

(Before)

(After)

All pictures were stolen from John Freiberg as usual.

Brookyln, NY Missions Trip '09

2009-05-29T10:55:00.001-07:00

On July 26th through August 4th I will be co-leading a missions trip to Brooklyn, New York with our church's youth group.

This will be our second year in a row going to Brooklyn, and last year's trip changed the life of our entire church. The parents' trust in letting their kids leave home for a week grew. Our small church bonded in unity as they all chipped in to send us to New York, but most importantly, I think our confidence in ministry grew- especially with the students. It was amazing to witness them see God's calling on their lives for the first time.

While we are living in the 2nd EV Free Church of Brooklyn for a week we will be: leading every aspect of a 4 day vacation Bible school, tutoring in a learning program at the church, cleaning the church, and prayerfully sharing the gospel with everyone we meet along the way. Internally we hope to learn a lot on this trip and recieve knowledge regarding God's kingdom and our commission to serve others with humility. We need your help. Please send us with your prayers. If God is not with us on this trip, we might as well not go.

Each member of our team needs to raise $750 to go. This amount pays for a round trip ticket, food, shelter, and the cost to run the B.U.M.P. program. Since we are from a small church, we need a lot of financial support. If you would be so generous as to help us we would greatly appreciate it. Below are instructions on how to give money for the cost of our trip.

If you feel led to contribute financially you can mail a check to First EV Free Church L.A. 1356 S. Albany St. Los Angeles, CA 90015. Put a note somewhere in the envelope stating that you are contributing to John Tallacksen's New York fund or to the whole team. Please do not write my name anywhere on the check. This will ensure that your donation will be tax deductible.

Thank you to all of you who supported us last year, and to all who have or will this year!

I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)

2009-05-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is a song that has blessed me over the last few weeks. It was written for a specific situation (Amadou Diallo), but I find it to be true as I take a step back and look at humanity in general. The thought of everyone waking up from their comfort and rebeling against the ways of this world is beautiful to me. Please wake up and seek Heaven in the here and now. Don't wait for it, and don't try to define it. Let God define you.

I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)

by: Lauryn Hill

I find it hard to say, that everything is alright
Don't look at me that way, like everything is alright
Cuz my own eyes can see, through all your false pretenses
But what you fail to see, is all the consequences
You think our lives are cheap, and easy to be wasted
As history repeats, so foul you can taste it
And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it
His life so incomplete, and nothing can replace it
And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it
Your lives so incomplete, and nothing can replace it
Fret not thyself I say, against these laws of man
Cuz like the Bible says, His blood is on their hands
And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say, is rebel
While today is still today, choose well
And what I gotta say, is rebel, it can't go down this way
Choose well, choose well, choose well...
...choose well, choose well, choose well
And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it
Your lives are so incomplete, and nothing, and no one, can replace it
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say
And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say
And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say
And what I gotta say, and what I gotta say
Is rebel... rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel
Rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel, rebel
Repent, the day is far too spent, rebel... rebel!
Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up...
Wake up and rebel
We must destroy in order to rebuild
Wake up, you might as well
Oh are you... oh are you satisfied
Oh are you satisfied
Rebel... ohhh rebel
Why don't you rebel, why don't you rebel?
Why don't you rebel?

Joe Finally Hanging Out At The Berrics

2009-05-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

(Joe's buttery Boneless about 3/4 of the way through the video)

As seen above, my friend Joe hung out and skated at The Berrics here in downtown Los Angeles. You can watch the video of Joe and a bunch of other kids having a hay-day at the Berrics HERE.

A lot of people are not familiar with The Berrics especially if they aren't into skating so I'll set up the story of why this is so cool... Up untill recently, The Berrics has been a secret indoor skate park in LA only accessible to pro skaters. Owned by Steve Berra, The Berrics has a website where skaters all over the world can peek into what it's like to hang out at a beautiful private indoor skate park with a bunch of pros. Most of us have been drooling over the website planning missions to find the Berrics' location and beg to skate inside. Recently Steve Berra posed a "Willy Wonka" type of offer where if people would go watch his friend's film Explicit Ills at a specific theater, he would let them skate in The Berrics complete with a pizza party. Needless to say Joe got a golden ticket and the result is the video linked above. I'm glad you got to skate your heart out Joe. You deserved that rare shot at bliss.

Take A Trip Inside My Mind

2009-05-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

My heart has been burdened with a number of things in this life, but one subject in particular torments me. I'm talking about art, or more specifically mankind's ability to discern what is good or what is bad in art. This has been a thorn in my side at varying levels pretty much my whole life. The book pictured above (Art and the Bibleby Francis A Schaeffer) is somewhat of a milestone for me because reading it is my first step in actually addressing the specific issue with God. I've studied art since I was a small child, but this marks my first efforts to understand my questions, and search for answers.

Most reading this have probably already tuned out by now, and that's a shame. It's that apathy that has brought me to these questions. Most people that I have encountered, including myself, treat art, or have treated art, as something that is expendable. We see art everywhere. In an age of communication where sensory overload is high subconsciously expected, we have devalued art in our minds and general culture. When recession hits, and budget cuts are rampant, the arts are the first to go. Today's most popular films and musicians are a grotesque representation of what real artists are doing outside of the public eye. It's so hard for a deep, hard working, artist to make a living or get any recognition. What does this mean for our society in general? Have we lost our ability to appreciate good over bad? If God is an artist, why then do most people consider my convictions about art as petty compared to the Gospel? Is art important? Isn't the Bible mostly a collection of art in various forms such as: verbal story telling, poetry, music, and letter writing? If we can't appreciate man's art here on Earth, how can we appreciate God's art? What does God think about art, and it's value? How does a Christian make art without being cheesy. Are there any good Christian artists out there? What does it look like for a visual artist to worship God with their work in a church setting? If I'm right, and art is a vital connection with God the creator, then why does most art produced by Christians look like uninspired watered down Sunday school lessons? Why aren't we tapping into our God's creativity, and making the best art out there? How do I invite the Holy Spirit to collaborate with me and turn my art from vague expressions of myself into prophetic messages to all peoples? Do I really know what I'm asking for?

The questions go on and on. This is what keeps me awake at night. I will continue blogging about my journey through this seemingly sparsely charted territory. If you have any resources that you think I should check out please send your suggestions as comments to this posting.

Does anyone know about the quarterly journal called Image? If there are any subscribers out there please let me know what your experience has been like with this publication.

Visit My New Art Blog

2009-03-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Many readers of Elevate LA were getting confused with all of my art rantings, so I created a new blog. JohnTravieso.blogspot.com will be my new art blog from now on. On it you will find my latest drawings and paintings as well as some art/animation news.

Right now I'm posting one A.C.E.O. of mine up for auction every three days on ebay. If you want more information on how to find my auctions visit my art blog. For all ministry news in L.A. please keep Elevate LA bookmarked.

-John Tallacksen

Freddie Joachim: Free Download

2009-03-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here's another sign of life coming out of the Los Angeles area. Freddie Joachim is, in my opinion, one of the best producers in the game today. He doesn't follow the "what's hot right now" trends that you hear in most tracks. He stays true to the Jazzy vibe that got him noticed by such artists as Surreal. Some producers over use their sound and it grows stale over time, but Freddie somehow keeps his sound fresh every time. Go to his website FreddieJoachim.com and download his five track offering titled "Nights Alone" for free. Support independant art!

-End of transmission

Shane Claiborne Interview

2009-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I appologize for this video's size. It obviously doesn't quite fit in the space I need it to, but it's good enough and I think everyone will get the idea if they listen to the interview.

There are a few thoughts I had while watching this video...

Number one: It's not soo bad being bald Shane.

Number two: I completely agree with Shane on the need for community, and what it's functions are. It's exceedingly hard to practice the "One Anothers" (see list below) without living in close proximity to eachother? It takes a deep knowledge of a person to really love them, and you won't get there by only meeting Sunday mornings and maybe on Wednesdays.

Number 3: Whoa! Did he just mention the creation of Eve without pushing marriage? He did! He referenced Adam's helper as a metaphor for community. That's an incredibly beautiful insite. As a global church, we need to get better at supporting our single brothers and sisters just as much as the married ones. The balance is way off.

Number 4: No one can afford the American Dream. The "dream" of Jesus and His kingdom is refreshingly different in that we sustain eachother under His leadership rather than stepping on everyone to get the most stuff.

Number 5: I really like Shane's admission of the church's blemished past. We are a broken people who desperately need Jesus to save us from ourselves. That is what church is for. Unless we remind ourselves of this every moment in humility, we will be in danger of misrepresenting Christ.

A Few Of The "One Anothers"

· John 13:35 - "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Romans 12:10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

· Romans 12:16 - Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with

the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

· Romans 13:8 - Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has

fulfilled the law.

· 1 Corinthians 11:33 - So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

· Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

· Ephesians 4:25 - Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

· Ephesians 5:21 - and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

· Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another

as more important than yourselves

· 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and

for all people, just as we also do for you

Know Your Roots on WallBlank.com

2009-02-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

The kind folks at WallBlank.com are currently selling prints of my piece titled Know Your Roots. This is a limited run of only 150 prints. The sale starts today (Thursday Feb 26th) and continues for a week or untill the prints sell out. All proceeds contribute to my life of ministry in Los Angeles. Go get it now before it runs out!

Description of piece:

digital painting mixed with photography

11X17 on an archival pigment print

Know Your Roots depicts musical innovator Kool Herc paving the way for modern day Hip Hop. The colorful roots branching out from him symbolize the diverse future of Hip Hop made possible by his creative experimentation.

Keep Art Legal

2009-02-26T01:47:00.001-08:00

My friends and I are lucky enough to have a "legal spot" to piece at called the Graff Lab. (located on the South East corner of Venice and Union in L.A.) Here are some quick pictures. We have a lot of great discussions about the benefits of not using your art for vandalism, but for self expression and communication with God. The Graff Lab is a great place to practice those values. I highly recommend it.

(These crazy guys are mine. I had a nightmare about them a couple months back)

(The guys threw up a piece for S.A.Y. Yes in the Nehemiah House)

(At the Graff Lab)

The Meaning Of Christmas

2008-12-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

Linus might be the only one still allowed to say that on ABC. Preach it Linus.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Elias: So Cal Artist To Watch In 2009

2008-12-23T01:14:00.000-08:00

"While I have learned not to be too cryptic or abstract in my songs, I seek a universality in songs that will contain a broader message that is at once simplistic and complex--depending on where the listener is ready to accept the listening..."

Why I Like Elias:
It does my soul proud to find artists that expand the typical "christian" view of art. Too often we forget our roles as children of a creator, and bind ourselves in an off-kilter interpretation of the "Do Nots." I believe in rules and in order, but if Christ set the whole individual free then He must have set their passions free too. Unbelievers might be drawn to God if we actually lived like we were set free from a suffocating prison. Why should we pretend like we're still in it? Elias' music brings me to a place where I can enjoy quality music in freedom. His seamless transition between soulful vocals and tailored MC skills puts him in the top 20 of my, "Most Interesting Current Artists" list.

How I found Elias: A brief history

Around Thanksgiving time Sev Statik of Deepspace5 graciously offered his friends on Facebook a free album of their choosing. I asked for the album he and producer extraordinare Dust put out in the highly regarded Rawkus 50 called Back To Dust. I'm glad I did because it's an amazing piece of work. The one track that really stood out to me was called Far Cry which is a man's story of how he has fallen short in becoming the man he wanted to be. The song stayed in constant play on my media player because of Elias' unique singing voice and catchy vocals...

"I'm so far away. I didn't plan to be this way. My life's not what it should have been. I'm not the man that I could have been. It's a far cry from the days of my youth. It's a far cry from the days of my youth."

Those lyrics resonated with me, and the tune has been stuck in my head for weeks. I decided to look into who this artist was, so I started at Elias' Myspace page. In my research I found out that Elias has not only worked with Sev and Dust, but he's working on various projects with Mars ILL and he's working with the brilliant band from Denmark Dafuniks. Not to mention he's also a member of the Scribbling Idiots crew along with one of my favorite MCs TheoryHazit.

Leaving His Mark In Denmark

While on Myspace, I asked Elias about his work with the funky "secular" band Dafuniks. Their soulful work together is nothing short of amazing. Some believers might question Elias' intentions in writing such love songs as All I Want and Hello I Love You. As someone who appreciates these tracks I wanted the inside story on how he came up with the lyrics. This is what he had to say:

"That song [All I Want] exists on several different levels. It IS a secular song. That is to say there is nothing explicitly religious about it.
On one plane it is ONLY about a woman that I fall in love with while I'm on stage. (fictional) So it is a very simple song about "desire." However, as with "Hello, I love you." I can actually be talking about something entirely different. I do think attraction, love, desire, lust, are all interesting topics that are very real to us. We confuse them, use them, and mix them up until they are all one thing. That is the reason why at one point in the song I'm saying, 'it's the come on before the front on, before the run on,before the safety's off and the gun on, before I'm looking down the sights of a muzzle, before you look at me and smile...you a puzzle. I seen you before girl I know your name..you ain't looking for love your looking for games.'
So, within desire and lust you have this larger pull at the back of your heart--the one that REALLLY longs for love. A real love that is that kind that is "All I want" not the kind that is immediacy and flash passion. So, then the last verse of the song is actually changing the protagonist into someone worth chasing after--the divine but personified in the "her". It's the realization that YES--THIS Is IT. So, the last verse is really about God. Most people will not know that but it is not always the poet or story tellers job to tell the meaning of a story. Sometimes they just tell a story and share art. I'm not writing sermons--I'm writing music that people 'feel.' When they feel they come up with observations, ruminations, and interpretations that even I never intended--but that essentially is art. It is neither something the artist can cling to and claim or owned entirely by the listener/viewer."

Referring to the track Hello I Love You, Elias commented:

"In the song Hello, I love you it appears that I'm doing a song about picking up on people...but I'm not...I'm loving life itself and recognizing that while desire, hope, and passion are all important in life--Love binds all these things together to make sense. That is why the verses start with 'My name is desire and such/I'm the one that brings the fire and lust' and the second verse starts, 'My name is hope,broke? Nope. Y'all think I choked..."

Personally, I enjoy Elias' venture in word-play. It's this kind of transparency and creativity that I look for in new music. I can see some of our God fearing number not agreeing with Elias' lyrics, and that's ok. Maybe some rich conversations about what it means to be a Christian and an artist will come out of it. Hopefully the world will hear enough of Elias to get that dialog rolling.

Elias' Myspace
Dafuniks.com

Elevate LA Behind The Scenes Extra: My Actual List Of "Most Interesting Current Artists."

(This is a musical artist list)

1. Berto Ramon
2. Surreal
3. Sufjan Stevens
4. Dust (Mars ILL)
5. Joanna Newsom
6. Freddie Joachim
7. Mates Of State
8. The Welcome Wagon
9. Elias
10. Jupiter7
11. Flatfoot 56
12. Tycho
13. TheoryHazit
14. Mr. J. Medeiros
15. Josh Garrels
16. Mariee Sioux
17. Trace Bundy
18. Listener
19. Judah the Lyrical Rev
20. Soul Addicts
(Truth be told, this will probably change some by tomorrow)

What Do Bugs Bunny and Pixar's Presto Have In Common?

2008-12-07T01:03:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep tonight, so I've been surfing on the web. I stumbled upon an old illustrated version of Bugs Bunny's biography called A Hare Grows In Manhattan on ASIFA Hollywood's blog. (scroll down a ways to see it) I couldn't help but notice that this panel looks a lot like Pixar's Presto. Was Pixar tipping their top hat to Bug's biography? It looks like it to me. What an interesting cross-over between Disney/Pixar and Warner Bros.

Brendan and the Secret of Kells

2008-12-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

The team at Cartoon Saloon in Ireland have put together a masterpiece! I haven't seen much of this project, but the trailer looks amazing. The character designs and the backgrounds are just stunning. From what I've seen of the animation, it looks brilliant. Check out the latest trailer by clicking here(This version is in French. The English trailer will be released in a few days)
From what I can tell, the story has something to do with the origin of the Book Of Kells. Of course the Book Of Kells does actually exist. It is an Irish illuminated manuscript of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) thought to be created in the early 8th century.

(A page of the actual Book of Kells)

I'm not sure if this will make it to distribution or not, but director Tomm Moore has been working on a comic as a prequel to the movie. My guess is that he'll find a publisher and distribution shortly after the film's release if he hasn't already. Check out a few pages from this project below.

S.A.Y. Yes: Pico Union

2008-12-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

(Birthday party)

I'm not sure how clear I've made my ministry out to be on this blog yet. I'm currently an intern living in a community house owned by the First Evangelical Free Church of L.A. Our church and community house (the Nehemiah House) are located in Pico Union, just blocks from downtown Los Angeles. We have an after school program called S.A.Y. Yes (Saving America's Youth). Right now I am the senior high boy's mentor/tutor. I do things like: help them with their homework, go to their parent teacher conferences, help them apply for college, teach them how to draw, hang out with them every possible moment, share meals with them, and volunteer in our church's youth group. It may sound pretty simple, but to a neighborhood with a 70% high school drop out rate it can make a huge difference.

My work is a lot of fun, but it is work. In fact, most consider what I do to be more than a full time job. People haven't been very consistent in our students lives. Parents come and go, or they work 2 to 3 jobs. Friends move away. Teachers get a better job in a nicer school. That's why our house decided to live in the same neighborhood they do. We try to be positively involved in every aspect of their lives. It's our job to reveal Jesus to them in every situation.

One of the challenges is to remain consistent and available to these kids while the need for a more substantial income grows more urgent. I have to pay rent, and pay off my student loans. I need gas and car insurance to drive our students around. Our center needs school and art supplies, but we have almost no budget to speak of. This problem has been somewhat covered for the last year by a ministry called TechMission. Since January of 2008 they have paid me to mentor in our center. Our church is small and can't afford to pay me or our other staff members. When my term with TechMission ends in January of '09 I will have to look for money elsewhere. The question is where do I go? What job can I get that will still allow me to be available to our youth? An 8 hour shift 5 to 6 days a week adds up to a lot of time that I'm no longer here- which reminds me of a story...

There was a pastor who moved into an inner city neighborhood. He ministered
in an area with a lot of drugs and gang activity. Over time he developed a relationship inside
of the neighborhood gangs. Everyone in the neighborhood was aware of his mission whether they
attended his church or not. One day the pastor struck up a conversation with a drug dealer. The
pastor was very discouraged by his lack of success and asked him why the gangs and dealers were
winning. The dealer said, "When little Joey walks to school in the morning, who walks with him?
I do. When Joey is at lunch who's waiting by the fence outside for him? I am. When Joey
walks home from school, who walks with him? I do. When his mother sends him to the store,
who's waiting for him outside? I am. I see Joey every day, and you only see him once
or maybe twice a week. That's why they come to me, and not you. I'm there,
and you're not."

I want to be there for these kids as much as I can. They aren't just students to me. They are my friends. Please pray that God will provide the right job, and enough money for me to minister to my neighbors. If it's on your heart to help you can volunteer at our center or click on the Donate button to the right. If nothing else, I urge you to be there for the people in your neighborhoods.

(weekly S.A.Y. Yes photo contest. I think
we were acting out a Bible story regarding a king)

Coraline Full Trailer and Interview

2008-11-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

A few months back I mentioned a film called Coraline that's coming out in February of '09. I'm really excited about this film, and besides the release of Pixar Studio's Up, I'm calling Coraline one of my top 2 picks of next year. The full trailer for Coraline was released on the net a few weeks ago. Over at Collider.com they have a few pages of insider goodness about the movie including an interview with Coraline's director Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas/James and the Giant Peach). In the interview Selick gives us a tip to wait through the end of the credits. He mentions a surprise for those patient audience members. If I were you I'd wait to see what it is.

Surreal: Pardon My Dust FREE DOWNLOAD

2008-11-27T01:22:00.000-08:00

I've got to thank Ces from Ontario, California who sent me a link to a project that Surreal (an MC living in L.A.) put out called "Pardon My Dust." You can download this 14 track album for FREE by clicking here. I don't know how this free download passed under my radar. I must be slipping. Don't miss out on this opportunity. Surreal has that Boom Bap jazzy feel that all of the real Hip Hop heads out there are craving to hear again.

The Best Cafe In Pico Union

2008-10-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ollin Cafe is located on Venice Blvd. just East of Hoover. It's a relatively new fixture in my neighborhood that seems to stand out because of how nice it looks. I found this place with two friends of mine (Eric and David) as we were walking down Venice while creating a scale model of the solar system. If you knew Eric you wouldn't be wondering why or how someone would do such a thing. Ollin Cafe made us stop dead in our tracks as we walked by it because of how classy and clean it was. Immediately we knew this would be our new hang out spot.
Most restaurants in Pico Union are fast food based. Balanced nutrition isn't really offered in our local store fronts. That's one of the many things that makes Ollin Cafe so different. Here you can buy: vegan products, fresh fruit juices, panini sandwiches, fruit smoothies, all kinds of coffee type drinks, and teas. Don't get me wrong. I love Lucy's and the taco truck on Washington and Union, but every now and then I need to eat something healthy. Ollin Cafe is one of the few places in Pico Union that offers that option.
The service at Ollin Cafe is crazy friendly. I can't tell you how engaging the owner of the shop is. She has stayed open late to accommodate a Bible study I was having with a few of the guys. She remembers everyone that walks through her doors, and greets everyone with a smile. I've had a lot of conversations with her over the last few months, and she's told me how hard it is to keep her cafe open. Business has been very slow for her mostly because people don't know that her cafe exists. It would be a tragedy for Pico Union to lose such a positive and healthy place. We need more places and business people like Ollin Cafe in our city. Please don't pass up the best cafe South of downtown.

Info:
1325 Venice Blvd. (just east of Hoover) -90006
213-739-8969

(this is what your meal will actually look like)

Chicken pesto panini with kettle chips, spinach dip, and a French vanilla latte
$7.75

Review:
5 out of 5 stars

The Rise Movement

2008-10-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

I went with two friends to visit the Rise Movement's encampment at La Placita Olvera a week ago. I guess I wanted to be present there simply to give support to our immigrant brothers and sisters here in the U.S. The entire camp consisting of about 100 people is fasting from food untill election day on Nov 4th. The Rise Movement calls this action a hunger strike inspired by Cesar Chavez' historic 25 day hunger strike in 1968.

There was a strong positive energy flowing throughout the camp. The campers were very diverse and probably a mixture of citizens and people with no documentation. Though the camp was smaller than I had envisioned I was still very impressed with the movement's organization. Many groups have either come together to create the fast or they have come to support. The Archdiocese of L.A. is one of them.
Immigration reform is one of my strongest convictions right now. At the end of the day, with all details and complications aside, I just want everyone on planet earth to have a job, shelter, food, water and clothes. Ultimately the ground we live on is God's and not ours. I don't believe people should break the law, but I also believe the law should be just. I also believe in God's higher law.

Exodus 22:21
"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt."

Exodus 23:9
"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."

Leviticus 19:34
"The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

We are a nation of immigrants. How then can we oppress other immigrants? Many of our country's largest corporations illegally build plants factories and offices in other countries to exploit the people that live there by paying them far less than they would have to pay an American. If we are oppressing people in their own countries and forcing them to look for a better life elsewhere, how can we mistreat them a second time by abusing them in our immigration policies?

Anyway, I'm too tired to continue writing. It's 1:20 in the morning. Here are a few other pictures I took while at the encampment.

Kristiansand, Norway

2008-10-12T02:57:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to find ministries in Kristiansand, Norway for the last few days. I found out from my cousin that our family has ties to this city on the Southern coast of Norway. I've had a desire for the last few years to minister in Norway, but I never knew where to start. Kristiansand seems like the right place. I can't find many ministries or Christian organizations on the net. This is maybe the third largest city on Norway, yet according to my searches it has very little Christian presence. How could this be? Please, if you know of a ministry or monastary or abbey or anything in Kristiansand please click on the comment button.

Fast For Our Future

2008-10-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

Click here for video

An organization called Rise is putting on a really important hunger strike in Los Angeles starting on October 15th, 2008, three weeks before the November 4th presidential election. Over 100 people are expected to fast in order to mobilize our community to vote for immigrant rights. Participants will give up all food and juice liquids. We will give up everything but water. In the Bible we read that when Israel strayed from God or didn't know what to do God called them to humble themselves and fast. Our current economic situation is evidence that we've strayed from God. Our nation's acts of violence overseas is evidence that we've strayed from the heart of God. I could go on and on.
Here in Los Angeles there will be an encampment for fasters and other supporters in the public area of La Placita Olvera and will include tents, a stage, work areas, and a rest area for participants. Olvera Street is an historic monument and plaza next to Union Station known as "the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles". The address is:

El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historic Park
845 N. Alameda Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Google Map

La Placita is easily accessible via public transit. Parking should be available.

Daily Public Schedule of the Fast Encampment:

8:00 - 8:30am Prayer Service
8:30 - 9:30am Agenda for the Day
10:00am Public Announcement or Press Conference
11:00am - 12:00pm Rest Period
12:00pm - 4:00pm Work
4:00pm - 5:00pm Rest Period
5:00pm - 6:00pm Vigil
6:00pm - 8:00pm Group Reflection
8:00pm - 10:00pm Free Time
10:00pm - 6:00am Quiet Time
Please join me in this fast. I myself will be fasting and praying that God will show me who to vote for on November 4th. Personally I'm not satisfied with either of the two main candidates, and I haven't found anyone from the smaller parties that I'm willing to vote for. I'm not a single issue voter, but immigration is an issue that I will weigh heavily before I vote. I don't feel that any of the candidates that I've researched are committed to reforming our severely broken and unjust immigration system. Not voting has never been an option for me. Too many people who can't vote but wish they could are counting on us as a population to take a stand for what's right.

Global Persecution

2008-09-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Through PrisonerAlert.com you can look up profiles of people who have been wrongfully imprisoned for practicing their faith. These prisoners are from various countries. The Voice Of The Martyrs ministry has even made it possible for us to write letters to these prisoners as well as authorities who can do something about this injustice.

Here is one of the profiles you'll find on PrisonerAlert.com.

Pastor Zhang Rongliang

Location: China
Arrested: December 2004

Pastor Zhang Rongliang was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison. According to China Aid Association the July 4 verdict was issued by Zhongmu County People’s Court.

Pastor Zhang Rongliang, a prominent Chinese house-church leader, was arrested in a rented apartment at Xuzhai village the afternoon of December 1, 2004. Zhang already had spent 12 years in prison for his faith during five separate detentions. He experienced harsh torture, including electric shock, during his previous prison terms. After being held in prison for a year, the officials attempted to transfer him from the prison in Xinmi to one in Zhongmu. Fearing that because of his fragile condition he might die, officials at Zhongmu would not accept him. He was instead taken to a hospital in Xinmi. Pastor Zhang suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure in addition to other chronic health problems. Later he was transferred to a Zhongmu City hospital where he spent most of February and March 2006.

He appeared in court April 6, 2006, more than 16 months after his arrest, for his third hearing on charges of “attaining a passport through cheating” and “illegal border crossing.” At this hearing the court acknowledged there was insufficient evidence for the case and asked for legal advice from a higher court.

Learn: ChinaAid
Act: PrisonerAlert.com

Was The Gadfly Project Vandalism?

2008-09-10T01:18:00.000-07:00

According to Pastor Eddie Romero (the Gadfly himself) the answer is yes. Mr. Romero visited our community house Monday, and I had a chance to talk with him about his experience protesting in China. I also had the chance to ask him about people's argument that his hotel room transformations were vandalism, and therefore not a Godly act. There have been a number of people, some of them very close to me, questioning Romero's methods and intentions. Of course I believe that questioning is a very important right that every person should have. While I never questioned Romero's motives or the cause, I did have my questions about his actions. How are a bunch of murals on hotel walls going to free people from prison camps and convince China to ratify the ICCPR covenant? Would the Chinese government even notice? Are the complaints about this being vandalism correct? Shouldn't we be more focused on the lives and rights of our brothers and sisters in China? The more I thought/wrote about it, the more I supported the project and the methods it contained. It was more of a gut feeling though, rather than head knowledge. I wanted to fully understand the choices he and his team made.

When I asked him what he would say to those Christians who disagree with what he did, Pastor Eddie mentioned the story of the paralytic in the beginning of Mark chapter 2. Jesus was teaching in a house owned by a local. A large crowd gathered to hear Jesus speak. The house was so crowded that you couldn't get in. Four men heard that Jesus was in town so they brought their paralyzed friend to be healed by Christ. They loved their friend so much that when they saw they wouldn't be able to get in the house they became desperate. They knew Jesus could heal their friend so they had to do whatever it took to get him inside. As illegal as it sounds, the four friends tore a hole in the roof of that house and lowered their friend down to Jesus. Romero explained, "Probably by every society's standards these guys acted illegally. All they knew was that they had to get their friend healed, and they were willing to do whatever it took to get him to Jesus. When Jesus looked up and saw them tearing a hole in this other guy's roof he didn't say, 'Hey! You guys can't do that!' No! Jesus commended those men for their extraordinary faith. I'm just one of those four friends desperately trying to get my friend healed."

Pastor Eddie also mentioned how Jesus cleansed the temple by throwing the tables over. The mention of that story also reminded me of the legalistic Sabbath laws that Jesus broke. It's true that complete disregard for man's laws are not a Godly quality for a person to have. There are times, though, where a believer must have more regard for God's higher law. Sometimes this regard calls us to be counter culture, and call attention to it when that higher law is being broken.

In my opinion, Mr. Romero's actions in Beijing were of civil disobedience. He told me that breaking the law was the point, and that he willingly turned himself in to the police once the Olympics were over. Romero voluntarily subjected himself to Chinese law much like Christ subjected Himself to the law and allowed Himself to be crucified. Efforts were even made to pay those two hotels for the damage. Every effort was made to respect the people of China. It was out of love for the Chinese people that Eddie risked everything. Pastor Romero went on to say, "If you want to call what I did vandalism- go ahead. It was vandalism." It was that vandalism that made the world take notice of the injustice going on in China. The mask that authorities in China tried to put on for the world was shattered even if just for a moment. News groups all over the world reported on the lack of religious freedom in China when Pastor Eddie "morphed" those rooms. They continued to report on it while he hid in China. These issues were brought to light yet again when he turned himself in and was deported back to the States. Awareness was raised, Eddie did everything God asked of him, and now it's time to wait for God's next set of instructions. Mission accomplished... so far.

Bachelor Sauce

2008-09-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm a single guy. I like to live life simply. I don't want a lot of clutter in the bathroom especially since I move a lot, and most bathrooms I've had are pretty small. I've been trying to find a way to condense all of my toiletries (i.e. soaps, shaving gels, shampoos, toothpaste) into one bottle. In my journey to find such a product I didn't know what it's name would be, so I nick-named it "Bachelor Sauce." It's great for bachelors because we usually want limited stuff of hygienic nature, and the word sauce just sounds manly. If you'd put it on your steak you probably, if you're honest, wouldn't mind putting it on yourself.

Well I've found a product that brings me pretty darn close to that goal. Yes my friends, I'm talking about Dr. Bonner's Magic Liquid Soap. Add water to this magic all natural elixir and you will get a lather that you can use for a shaving cream. You can wash your hair with it. You can even brush your teeth with it, and of course you can shower with it. As a very pale man, I've experienced that the Peppermint soap cools the skin which is great for sun burns and for hot days. I've heard that you can even kill cockroaches with this wonder liquid. Tell me that's not amazing. On top of all of that, the fine print on the label provides hours of engaging literature while on the toilet. Now how much would you pay for such a miracle? $50? $100? At most health conscious stores you can find Dr. Bonner's Magic Liquid Soap for only $9. That's right! NINE DOLLARS! Now you might ask me how you can afford to spend $9 on soap. Well friend, my question to you is how could you afford not to? With all of the tasks this soap accomplishes in and out of the shower you can rid yourself of all other products.

Do yourself a favor. Get rid of the clutter and buy Dr. Bonner's lather today!

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Mr. J Medeiros: Free Downloads

2008-09-03T00:18:00.001-07:00

Echo Park Hip Hop artist Mr. J Medeiros (the Procussions) has put a few gems on his myspace for free download. Basically what happened is that he was looking through his files yesterday, and found a few long forgotten tracks that he had made in the past. Old memories washed over him, so in his excitement over finding these lost treasures he posted them online for downloading. These tracks probably won't be up for very long so go get them now.
One of the more interesting tracks is called Remember Me; the instrumental that eventually became his popular single Constance. Below are the titles and stories behind each track in his own words.

1. Emotional Emergency- made this joint in 2000, first remix i ever made and it was of one of my favorite artists of all time, Bjork. This remix was made because i was unable to say everything i wanted to say to my new girlfriend. partly because i wasnt sure if what i wanted to say was for her or my ex i couldnt get over. it was just like i felt two things, lost and found, both equally deep, important, needed, useful, hurtful, helpful...so, i said nothing....and made this song. Funny, i spent so much time trying to make this remix because i had just got my equipment and really didnt know how to use it, how to make beats, how to play bass lines, how to sample. I just knew i was tired of feeling paralyzed and not able to express myself outside of words. by the time i learned my equipment and produced this song we had already broke up and it was more of a farewell gift at that time.

2. Remember Me- i made this around 2003. it was one of the first songs i made after moving to California. it was the ground work for what later became "Constance". I made this song as an instrumental, i felt the track so much that i decide i had to rap with it, i had to speak into it...i had to be in it, with it....thats when i wrote the song "Constance" and worked with the beat until we were both in agreement.

3. For My Buddy- when this track first came on this morning, i didnt recognize the drums or what they were doing. as the track started to move i got this crazy feeling of sadness...yes it was depressing but it was much more then that, i could remember making it, but i couldnt remember why, i had a face in my mind i couldnt make out but i knew i missed it. as soon a the cello came in i remembered. corny as it sounds, i thought about the first time my parents brought home my dog...i named him buddy. he use to sleep on my bed, he lived for almost 13 years...it is so crazy to think how angel like, God like, loyal this dog was...to know that i grew up and forgot about him, until he passed and he never held a grudge about it he was just always happy to see me come home.

4. Cup to Pass- this is just a tough one, most people i have showed this too havent liked it the way that i do. i use to love the movie "Platoon", i watched it when i was really young, too young and whatever it did to me, came out on that song and to know that people live in a movie like "Platoon" everyday makes me feel like a rich, snob, arrogant, selfish human being...helpless. i want to make music that inspires people who are smarter then me to do something about it. ha.

5. Restless Things- I have a friend that i have had for a long time, she gave me a lot of things, a lot!....stuff she doesnt even know. this was all i could give her in return.

6. Summer Love- easy. summer+love=Summer Love

Best Ice Cream in L.A.

2008-09-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

I know where it is. I've actually been going to this place for a little while now. As I was sitting in L.A.'s best ice cream shop earlier today it struck me that I've never blogged about it. So I promised my friend I would since everyone in my house loves it so much. The place is called Scoops. Here's the info on this amazing place:

712 N. Heliotrope Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323)906-2649
Price range: $2-$4 with great portion sizes
(cash only)
Wi-Fi: Free
Parking: Street
Scoops is probably my all time favorite ice cream shop, and that's coming from someone who used to have Oberweis(Chicago) at the top of their list. If you know anything about Oberweis creamery, you know how big of a statement that is. Scoops has both vegan and non vegan options for their ice cream. I love all of their flavors including the vegan ones, and I'm not a vegan nor do I plan to be one. The flavors are what makes this place so interesting. They have their version of vanilla called Brown Bread, but there are all kinds of off the wall flavors like: pistachio rose water, banana oreo, strawberries and poppy seed, or my favorite- orange mango. They make different flavors in their shop daily so no two days are the same. They even have a marker board where you can suggest flavors for them to make in the future.
The staff is really friendly, and they provide great service. This is a great place for Los Angeles Community College students to go between classes since it's so close by. For the fans of the vegan restaurant Pure Luck- I would suggest going to Scoops right across the street for dessert. At my house we go to Scoops at least twice a week, and it's worth it.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Pictures from New York

2008-08-31T23:01:00.001-07:00

I lost the interface cable for my camera, but I just bought a new one. Now that I can upload pictures, here's a few random pictures from our missions trip to Brooklyn back in July/August.

(David and Nehemiah at the airport)

(A lot smaller than it looked on Ghost Busters)

(Break time at the park)

The Graf Lab

2008-08-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

(By Etex at the Graf Lab)

Let me get something clarified before I talk about the Graf Lab. Usually when I tell someone that I create graffiti with the youth in my neighborhood I get concerned looks from them. The word graffiti almost always brings up other words in most people's minds like: illegal, crime, or sin. In our minds we think of words like: art, work, and style. Let it be known that there is such a thing as legal graffiti, and it's beautiful.
I've had the privilege of teaching some of the youth in our neighborhood the form of illustration. In turn, they've been teaching me the art of graffiti. Every piece that we do together is 100% legal, and it's usually at a legal spot in our neighborhood called the Graf Lab. This spot is somewhat of a sacred place in Pico Union, Los Angeles. It's on the South East corner of Venice and Union in Los Angeles. (if you've got the skills please come through) Every Saturday, artists can express themselves legally in broad daylight, and practice the art form of graffiti in safety. There are outside dangers that come in though. For instance the Burlington gang has claimed this as their territory. Yes you might get stopped by them if you go there, but we can't let gangs interrupt or lives. The Graf Lab belongs to everyone, and it's important to not hand any place over to darkness. The Artists have something to say. They also have something they need to let out of their being. I love the Graf Lab because it provides artists with an outlet that takes them off the billboards and private property of L.A. If anything there needs to be more legal spots like the Graf Lab in every city.
We have to support places like this. If legal walls are taken away from the public then people will fall into vandalism even more. If we believe that non-permission graffiti on private property is a crime, then we have to back our beliefs by providing legal walls as a community.

(By Etox)

What's Next For the Gadfly Project?

2008-08-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier today Pastor Tony Thomas visited our community house and spoke to us about the church. Thomas was one of the spokespeople/advisers for the Gadfly Project, so I asked him what was next now that Pastor Eddie Romero is home.
Thomas told me that Pastor Eddie will be working on a couple of projects with the intent of keeping the awareness level of what's going on in China high. The first is a book that Pastor Eddie has begun writing describing the issues in China, and I'm sure he'll be writing about his experiences with the protest that he enacted in Beijing as well. The second project mentioned was a 30 minute documentary about the abuse of China's faith community.
It occurred to me that people of faith need to be asking God what He wants them to do next about this issue. Organizations like China Aid and the Gadfly Project are good sources for advice on what to do next. They have people on their teams from or in China who know the details. I challenge us to not wait for what they are doing though. God can give you and I vision too. The whole reason these organizations are trying to raise awareness is so that we who are free will change our callous hearts and do something to restore justice. Yes keep an eye out for the next action that these teams ask our help with, but what if God is asking you to do something else? Open yourself up to this possibility, and pray often.

The Gadfly Returns After Deportation From Beijing

2008-08-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

Pastor Eddie Romero AKA "Gadfly" has returned to America after being arrested in Beijing, China, and being deported one day later. I haven't been able to blog about this for a few days since I've been in training for ministry. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend his return in LAX since I was moving a very large refrigerator and piano in Orange County. (Long story for another time) We're glad Eddie is back even though his plan was to be imprisoned in China for some time. Watch the VIDEO of his return and what he told reporters at LAX. My question is, "What's the next step?" We have to keep working on the rights of our family in China. I'm sure God has some things planned, so I'll be blogging more on the state of China in the future.

We The People Event: Sat Sept 27th 2PM

2008-08-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

We The People is a concert to raise consciousness in our youth through music, and other forms of art. It's also a chance to speak unity into our communities. Tickets are $45, but look at the list of artists performing- it's a worthy cause with great artists. Come out and support community.

Free The Robots: Free Download

2008-08-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

So there's this great Hip Hop producer in Santa Ana, CA called Free The Robots. He's got nice beats- I'm telling you. If you like that old Jazz as much as I do then you'll click on the link above and download the track called "You Let Me Down." It's a remix of an old Billie Holiday track. It's almost as beautiful as she was.

SketchCrawl L.A. Oct 25th

2008-08-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ok! SketchCrawl 20 is slated for October 25th. Ask for time off of work, clear your calendars, get a baby sitter. For those of us in L.A. we need to pick a place to draw/shoot so start voting on the official Sketchcrawl Forum. Make sure to click on the L.A. thread.

SketchCrawl Official site

Let's Paint the Town Red Part 2

2008-08-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

"Red Sunday" was great. Over 200 people showed up in La Puente, CA to paint Hacienda Christian Fellowship red. Many supporters came out such as author, activist, and former player for China's National Basketball team Kai Chen. Many people driving by honked their horns in support of releasing our sisters and brothers in China. Large banners were hung on each side of the building that read "Ratify and Release" and "Let my people go." Watch the video that documents this event here.

So many churches in our culture spend billions of dollars on their buildings, and go to great lengths to keep it pristine or up to date with the latest technologies. I've known a lot of congregations that won't let certain people in their doors or kids skate on their steps for fear of messing up the building. "Red Sunday" was a beautiful example of God's people using the building He provided them as a tool to spread the heart of Jesus. As I rinsed out paint trays and brushes in their kitchen sink I saw the red drops of paint on every surface. As I walked through the halls I saw red smears and droplets on the floor that gave evidence to Jesus' presence in that building.

Please pray and stand up for our family in China being tortured in prison.

Learn: ChinaAid.org

Act: Exodus8one.org

Let's Paint The Town Red

2008-08-17T01:53:00.001-07:00

This is really short notice, but I was just invited to a protest by the Gadyfly's Facebook page. There will be a protest called "Paint The Town Red" at Hacienda Christian Fellowship right here in Southern California. (See below for address and time) Hacienda Christian Fellowship is Pastor Eddie Romero's church. I have no idea what they have planned, but they said to prepare yourself to get dirty. Maybe we'll be painting something red. I don't know. They have me intrigued. I recommend that you go if you are in So Cal on Sunday Aug 17th.

Start Time:	Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1:00am
Location:	Hacienda Christian Fellowship
Street:	1358 N. Hacienda Blvd.
City/Town:	La Puente, CA

Learn: ChinaAid.org

Act: Exodus8one.org

One Day As A Lion Review

2008-08-15T17:17:00.001-07:00

One Day As A Lion is the latest project from Rage Against the Machine lead Zack De La Rocha. Jon Theodore (The Mars Volta) completes the two man band with aggressive percussion. I was really excited about this release since I hadn't heard Zack De La Rocha on an album in a long time.

Their myspace page states, “The name (One Day As A Lion) taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ This record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.”

Better one day as a lion than a thousand as a lamb is just bad theology to me. My savior teaches me to lay my life and body down as a lamb for the sacrifice if need be. Peaceful action to prove love to your enemy is far better than the continuation of hate and violence. What I think I'll do is translate this statement as, "Better to get up and act than to sit on the couch."

The record has the angry revolutionist feel that you would expect from Zack. I really do like the indie sound that they've achieved with Zack's messy keys and Jon's heavy drums. As far as lyrics go, I'm a big stickler for substance, and while Zack's delivery is exciting and flawless, I have to say I don't appreciate the blasphemous comments sprinkled throughout the album. I share some of his views of war and poverty. In the past his words would move me to action, but with this album I just hear anger for anger's sake.

Like I said before, I really like the sound and delivery style of this record, but I can't justify the content. It's really hard to let this one go, but I have to give it a thumbs down.

Verdict: 1 star out of 5

SketchCrawl #20 L.A.

2008-08-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

The date of SketchCrawl #20 has not been decided yet. Keep your eyes open for the date. I'm sure I'll post it here once it's announced. I've started a thread on their forum for L.A. Please sign up for the SketchCrawl forum, and help us decide where to go. Elevate L.A. through the arts!

Photographers: SketchCrawl is also a great opportunity for you to get shots of your local landmarks. Take advantage.

What in the world is a SketchCrawl?

The Making Of Oktapodi Video

2008-08-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I posted about an animated short entitled "Oktapodi." The film was made by students at Gobelins art school in France. Click here for the making of video. I have become a big fan of their character design.

Romero's Daughter Explains the Gadfly Project

2008-08-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Pastor Romero's daughter, Sarah Yetter, made this video as a response to the criticisms of the Gadfly protest in Beijing.

I've read a lot of the criticisms regarding Pastor Romero's (Gadfly) protest in China. I respect other people's opinions, but I also respectfully disagree. I'm sure Pastor Romero didn't do everything perfectly. The fact of the matter, though, is that every move he made was meticulously planned over the course of 7 years. His advisors were and are people who live or have lived in China and have been persecuted. These are all people who live the issues, and are a part of the Chinese people. Those of us in other parts of the world must not pretend that we know what's best for the Chinese people. In a lot of ways, this protest is how they advised Pastor Romero to act. Don't forget Romero's numerous trips to China over the years, and his relationships with the Chinese in other countries such as the U.S. I believe he is well aware of the culture and the details of what's going on in China.

Many people have voiced their concern for the vandalism of the hotel rooms. I've heard one person state that making a hotel employee clean up an American's protest will damage their view of Christians in the U.S.

First of all, think about the countless lives lost and the friends and families broken apart for no wrong doing of their own. Think of all the blood shed, abuses of all kinds, and the churches or homes demolished by the Chinese government. You can't compare all of that loss to the clean up of water based paint in two hotel rooms.

Secondly, I believe this protest will show the people of China that Americans do care. If around 107 million people are being persecuted and silenced in China for their beliefs, don't you think all of those people appreciated someone speaking out for them? If you were being tortured in a prison camp somewhere, I bet you'd want someone on the outside to speak up for you. What if even one of the staff members who cleaned up those rooms had a family member who was killed or imprisoned for their faith. (Wouldn't that be a likely if there are 7 million Christians and 100 million practitioners of Falun Gong in China?) That person might have a little more hope now.

Lastly, due to the severity of this injustice- because of the widespread apathy in people over this issue- and since the Chinese government continually sweeps all of this under the rug to keep appearances- the Gadfly project had to be a graphic protest. Something had to be done that would wake us up and bring attention to what's going on. The fact that there are arguments over this protest all over the internet is a testament that it worked. I think we need to transition from "Was the protest right or wrong?" to "What can we do about this?"

Regardless of whether a protest is right or wrong, we know that the problem is there now. It would be a crime against humanity to spend our time arguing while doing nothing about it. This is my last defense for the protest. I'd rather spend my time in action.

Skid Row's New Garden

2008-08-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

(Picture taken from LA Times)

A handful of cucumbers and a cell phone- this has to be the most beautiful picture I've seen from LA's "Skid Row" district in a long time. The LA Times has an article about an apartment building deep within our most impoverished area that has planted their own garden amidst the concrete jungle. As stated by the article, Rainbow Apartments is mostly comprised of formerly homeless residents. They tried planting a potted garden on their roof before without any success, but a non profit called Urban Farming helped them plant their next one against a cinder block wall. The gardeners of Rainbow Apartments report how they were surprised by the way gardening united them, in an area where it sometimes seems best to keep to yourself.

Resident Jannie Burrows said, "It brings us together as a group, kind of like therapy, to see something growing and flourishing."

"We're trying to feed our bodies with better nutrients, but more than anything, we like getting together," said Lance Shaw.

God is working in L.A. This story is a gorgeous contrast to what most say of Skid Row and the people who live there. I pray that this example will spread and grow throughout their neighborhood and LA. I hope their plants will too.

(Check out the link to Urban Farming above, and learn more about their "edible walls.")

Persecution of Falun Gong In China

2008-08-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

It is true what Rabbi David Saperstein said, "Tragically after over so many centuries, we Jews have been among the quintessential victims of religious persecution. Why? Precisely because, in the face of oppression and degradations visited upon us, good people stood by silently and let it happen." I can't let what's happened to the Jews happen again, and stand by silently. Practitioners of Falun Gong, other forms of Buddhism, and Christianity are in prison camps right now in China. We can't let this continue to happen. Everyone deserves freedom of speech and religion. If we let this evil slide then it has already reached us too.

Learn ChinaAid.org

Act Exodus8One.org
(Write Letters To Ratify and Release)

New Message From Gadfly Romero

2008-08-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

God must be sustaining this man every moment. I personally know some of his sacrifice to do what God has asked of him. Please pray for him as he hides alone in China, and when he turns himself in. Please pray that the government in China will soften their hearts and give their citizens freedom.

Coraline!!!!

2008-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, Coraline is going to be one of my most anticipated films of 09. This piece is due to come out in February. Coraline is written by acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman who is famous for his graphic novels "Sandman" and for his children's book "Wolves In The Walls." As if that's not enough, Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James & The Giant Peach) will be directing. Coraline looks to be a brilliant stop motion animation that I'm hoping will bring the medium back into the forefront. RottenTomatoes.com will be posting one behind the scenes video of Coraline each day. View them HERE. You'll be glad you did.

Oktapodi

2008-08-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

Oktapodi is a great short that I heard about on Cartoonbrew.com.
Link-----> Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation
The story is simple yet very entertaining. At first I wasn't too impressed with the character design on the squid, but they grew on me. My one critique is that there are no background characters in this town. I'm sure the fact that this is a student short film accounts for the lack of city dwellers. Oktapodi was and is a welcomed break in the never ending stream of terrible animations. Please watch the short film here.

Posted using ShareThis

Why Protest In China?

2008-08-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you're like me and you need a crash course on what's going on in China. What's all this talk about freeing Tibet? Why did Pastor Romero spend 7 years planning a protest in two Beijing hotel rooms? When Pastor Romero was telling us about his plans to protest in Beijing I wasn't aware of the issues. Watch this video to gain just a fraction of the big picture in China. We'll get into the related issue of Tibet in later postings.

Another Message From the Gadfly

2008-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

These video messages are made as "the Gadfly", Pastor Eddie Romero, continues hiding somewhere in China. I'm not sure if he is somehow making the videos or if he's sending messages to a trusted second party and they are making the videos for him. Either way it's good to hear from him.

Author James Mawdsley Speaks About the Gadfly

2008-08-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

James Mawdsley wrote the book "The Heart Must Break: The Fight For Democracy and truth in Burma."

The Resident

2008-08-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

"The Resident" aka Lori Harfenist is a current events reporter on www.theresident.net. Lori has worked as talent/content producer for networks and big name companies such as: CNN, Fox News, and my favorite- Atari. I was first introduced to her youtube videos when my friend and co-worker Evelyn was searching for videos about immigration reform. I was amazed at her view point on immigration and how right on she was. I found her website later and started watching all of her videos. Just like every other human on this planet, I don't fully agree with her on everything, but I've come to respect her opinion. Click on the link to her website above, and click here to see the video that started it all for me.

Tesla Motors To Be Manufactured In California

2008-08-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I know I'm late on this news, but I'm still excited about it so I figured better late than never. Tesla Motors is a newer car company out of the Silicon Valley that focuses on developing 100% electric cars. Obviously the ultimate goal is to make a more environment and wallet friendly car.
I've been a huge fan of their first car the Tesla Roadster. Again, this car is 100% electric with no emissions, besides that it's a beautiful car, and it goes 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds. The bad news is that the first models started at $70,000 and now I think they're up to $90,000. They've been manufactured by another company somewhere in Europe, but it seems like Tesla has been trying to build their own manufacturing plant in the United States. From what I hear New Mexico put in a bid and almost won until Governor Schwarzenegger stepped in and pulled strings to have the plant built in California.
I definitely don't agree with the Governor on a lot of issues, but I really like this move. The incentives that his administration has put into place allows for other low emissions car developers to come into California and hopefully move the car industry into a greener future. The savings that Tesla Motors will receive by building their plant in California will also propel them to their goal of making a 100% electric car for under $30,000. Chairman Elon Musk stated in the press conference, "The goal of Tesla really is to produce mass market cars. This company is not out to solve a sports car shortage in the world. The reason we have an expensive car initially is because the technology is expensive and takes time to optimize. If we could do a low cost car right off the bat we would have done it."
I'm really excited about the direction Tesla is headed with environmentally friendly cars. If you would like to view the press conference announcing their plans for a new plant in Cali click right here. (all of these videos I'm posting are slowing down the loading speed on my blog)

A Message From The Gadfly

2008-08-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Go Gadfly Go!

Gadfly Rumor #1

2008-08-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure how Gadfly's protest would play out or if anyone would care. Now that the deed was done and Gadfly is in hiding in China it looks like he has stirred up some buzz. You know a lot of people are talking about a certain topic when you hear humorous rumors being spread.
One rumor I heard was that Gadfly is hiding in the air above Beijing. Somehow I don't think Gadfly has the financing to be hiding on planes for 16 days nor would it be very practical. I am glad that people are talking though. If anyone has any other rumors about the Gadfly to share please comment them to this posting.
Please spread the word. The people in those prison camps need people on the outside to care. The people of Tibet need others to care. The human race needs China's government to have a change of heart and start putting human life and the quality of human life at the top of their priorities.

Gadfly Project on NBC4 Los Angeles Pt. 2

2008-08-08T08:59:00.001-07:00

Gadfly Project on Channel 4 Los Angeles

2008-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Project Gadfly Press Conference

2008-08-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

The press release regarding Gadfly's protest in Beijing has been posted on Exodus8one.org. You can watch it here, but I encourage you to visit persecutionandtheolympics.com to find out who and where you can send letters to asking for justice in China. Please be a voice for those who are silenced by torture and bars.

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation

2008-08-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

Today on CartoonBrew.com Amid posted thoughts on how the future of TV animation is found on the internet.
"The paths that both of these properties have taken (Making Fiends and Daily Monster video podcast) offer a view into how new TV animation ideas will be discovered in the future. The dysfunctional system of pitching and development in TV animation still exists, but it is on the wane and being dismantled by the Internet."
-Amid
To read his posting click on the link below.
Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation

Posted using ShareThis

Protests in Beijing

2008-08-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

There have been a few protests in Beijing, China over the past few days. I have to admit that I've been sleeping on what's been going on in China pretty much all of my life. Recently one of our church's leaders has awakened me to the deteriorating status of human rights in communist China. Among many other atrocities citizens of China don't have the freedom of speech or the freedom of religion. The result is many of my Christian brothers and sisters are either dead or in prison labor camps because of their faith.

The issues and the details go much deeper than I have time for in this blog, but I've noticed some interesting protests in Beijing now that the Olympic games are about to start. One of these peaceful protests hits really close to home for me.

The first protest involved a young British man named Iain Thom climbing a lightning rod near Tiananmen Square and hanging a large banner that read, "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet" and "Tibet will be free." Another activist named James Murray hung a similar banner over the River Thames in London that read "Beijing 2008: Make Olympic History: Free Tibet." Both of the campaigners and their other fellow activists were said to be from a group called Students for a Free Tibet. To my understanding they wanted to use the popularity of the Olympics in Beijing as leverage to bring China's occupation of Tibet to light.

Late last night some videos were posted on Youtube.com of another protest happening in Beijing. An activist named "Gadfly" turned two luxury hotel rooms into what looks like murder scenes complete with human sized dummies made out of pillows. On the walls he painted murals and Bible verses such as Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak out for those who have no voice." The murals included the symbol for the 2008 Olympics and a hill side scene that reads, "Beijing 2008 Our world our nightmare." On the walls Gadfly also asked for the release of 5 prisoners in China. Each prisoner listed is a leader or prominent figure in either their respective religion or in the freedom movement in China.
1. RELEASE Pastor Zhang Rongliang
2. RELEASE Xu Na, Falun Gong
3. RELEASE Hu Jia, Buddhist / Activist
4. RELEASE Shi Tao, Journalist
5. RELEASE Guo Feixiong, self-trained “barefoot” lawyer.
He also asks for the People's Republic of China to "ratify ICCPR." ICCPR stands for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In other words, Gadfly is asking China to adhere to this treaty enacted by the U.N. in 1966. Right now Chinese citizens do not enjoy freedom of speech or the right to believe and worship what they want in public. To learn more go to Exodus8one.org.
You can also watch the videos of the Gadfly filming himself transforming the rooms below.
So far I agree with both of these protests. Everyone deserves the right to choose their own religion. Free will is God given. I pray that my people in China will remain strong and hold fast to God's promises.

Team Report After Brooklyn

2008-08-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Our team has been home in L.A. for almost two days now. I'm still processing what happened in Brooklyn, New York, so this posting will just skim over the highlights.

When we arrived in Brooklyn on July 27th we had to find the church that we would be serving/sleeping in. The walk from the subway station to 2nd Evangelical Free Church of Brooklyn was really cool. The neighborhood is mostly inhabited by Chinese immigrants, so the streets are filled with markets and people. Already we had entered a great environment for our team to be introduced to a culture many of us had never experienced before.

2nd EV Free of Brooklyn was very much like our own church in LA. The church serves mostly immigrant families. They have a sort of community house next door that houses much of their staff much like our Nehemiah House. Most of our time was spent in their S.A.Y. Yes! tutoring program which we also run in Pico Union. These similarities allowed our team to fit the needs of the church very quickly. I was very impressed with our youth who jumped right in with the kids and poured so much of their energy and love into them. Along with a visiting team from Two Rivers Church in Tennessee we spent five days with kids from pre-K up to 5th grade. We tutored them in math. We colored with our kids, and sang worship songs with them. There were geography lessons, and trips to the park. On Thursday we took the kids on a field trip to a Biblical Art Museum and to Central Park. Once 1 o'clock hit we ran a Vacation Bible School for them and performed skits and Bible lessons. By the time Friday came around we had to say good bye to these precious kids. Our youth cried that night already missing the children we became friends with. Many on our youth team told us how good it was to be in our shoes at a S.A.Y. Yes! and experience how much we loved them. By the end of the week I asked if any of them felt more confident in being a part of ministry in our church now that they've completed this trip, and they all raised their hands. I couldn't have asked for a better experience for our young leaders to go through.

Our nights in Brooklyn were packed with taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of our surroundings. Remember that many of our youth have never been outside of California so this was incredibly beneficial to them. Above you see some of us eating at a traditional Chinese restaurant. The food was great, but very different from the Latin and American food that we are used to.

We also took the team to see the sites. On Sunday we took the ferry past the Statue Of Liberty. On a free night we walked around Times Square. We also saw the Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center, but the most memorable site out of all of them was ground zero. We all had different emotions running through us as we prayed for our world over the site of one of our generations greatest tragedies. It seemed appropriate to pray with younger people in hopes that times will be better for them and their kids.

Over all this trip was about God showing us what kind of leaders we are as individuals and as a team. It seems to me that short term missions is not as much about teaching the people you visit as it is about what you learn and bring home with you. Pray with me that our youth will realize their role in God's body. Pray for our staff to be able to encourage and challenge them to commit to their roles and minister now rather than waiting for some undefined moment when they'll feel as though they are old enough to do something about the gospel.

Pray For The Children of Brooklyn

2008-08-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Our team landed back home in Los Angeles at about 8:30 Sunday night. It is good to be home, but it was also pretty hard leaving Brooklyn. While we were on this trip we were in the hands of our living God. Every moment was designed for us to either learn something about: ourselves, each other, or about others around us. Our hearts bled for the children we met. All of them

There was a little girl we called Lin Lin who liked to ride on my shoulders as we walked to the park. She always wore dresses and had her hair in pig tails. One look at her and you know how precious she is in God's sight. When I met her she came up to me and asked if I liked her little red buckled shoes. I told her that I did, and asked her if she would hold my hand as we walked back to the church. She was always very concerned that I only had sneakers to wear on such a hot day. She thought I should be wearing open shoes like her to stay cool. Lin Lin made it her mission every day to teach me how to count to one hundred in Chinese. I could only remember up to the number four. It was so fun to laugh with her, and receive corrections from her on how to pronounce fifty nine in her language. At only five years old she was a very giving person, and extremely intelligent. I often wondered how she will turn out ten or fifteen years from now. What choices will she make? How will life and circumstance effect her? Will she remember the things she has learned about God? Maybe the songs they sing about Bible stories will stick with her. I don't know, but please join me in praying for the lives of these kids. Almost all of them had tragic stories of broken families, deaths, abuse, rejection, and poverty. There was so little we could do in Brooklyn. Thank God it wasn't about us, but we had our brief moment in their lives. Prayerfully God made it something they could grab on to.

Please pray for Lin Lin and the other kids of Brooklyn. Pray that they meet Jesus, and that their families do too. God Bless.

Micro Loans

2008-07-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

In our community a few of us have been talking about setting up a system to provide micro loans to people who might want to start a business. There are plenty of people in our neighborhood who have a craft or skill-set, but there aren't enough opportunities them to acquire or create jobs for themselves. We've also noticed an increasing number of pay-day loan establishments and department stores that essentially exploit their customer's lack of knowledge in how loans or credit works.
We thought it would be great to provide micro loans and also set up an accountability system with our clients that will not only educate them on loans, but will also invest in community. Each client could be assigned to meet with a small group of other clients each week, and everyone's approval of their next loan will depend on if they've all made their payments or not. This isn't a new idea. The Grameen Bank is not only a great model for this, but their founder, Professor Muhammad Yunus, won a Nobel Peace Prize for the success of this concept.
A few of us talked to a group of businessmen about our ideas, and one of them informed us of Kiva.org. We can pretty much set up the system that we need through this amazing website in the event that we become one of their field partners. Kiva.org allows you to create an account on their website and then find impoverished entrepreneurs across the globe. You can then lend small amounts towards their individual goals helping them start or continue their business. I'm pretty excited about this idea, and will be looking into it further. If anyone has any other ideas please leave comments.

BUMP Trip to NY

2008-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

My church, First EV Free of Los Angeles, is organizing a missions trip to New York with our youth. The Evangelical Free Church has a program called BUMP where EV Free churches across America bring their youth to an urban EV Free church for service projects and ministry. In our case, we will be one urban church visiting another urban church on the opposite side of the country.
We will live in and serve in the Second EV Free Church of Brooklyn from July 27th to Aug 3rd. A big part of our mission is to organize a summer vacation Bible school (VBS) for the neighborhood kids in Brooklyn. It's our responsibility to perform a skit every day, and to lead the kids in worship. The theme for the VBS is "The Pirates of Pizazz" which I'm sure is a spin-off from the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean.
For the past few months we've been gathering our team of students together every Sunday to practice the songs and skits. You can view some pictures of last Sunday's meeting at the Nehemiah House below.

(Thank you John Freiberg for letting me steal these off of your Facebook without you knowing it)

Edberg translating for John Freiberg as he speaks to the parents

Making sure we're all on the same page

Nehemiah and I going over the script

Kool DJ Herc Tribute part 1

2008-07-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

After completing my illustrated tribute to Gil Scott Heron I wanted to pay homage to another godfather of Hip Hop. I found the picture below on the net of Kool Herc messing around with an old record player. This picture is a great gem of Hip Hop history so I wanted to incorporate it into my piece.

I took the picture into Art Rage and started painting Herc. As I was painting, I decided that I wanted the graininess of the old picture to show through, so I put the picture behind my painting and finished the remainder on top of the photo. I was careful to leave some parts unpainted so the photo could show through. I also set my painted layer to multiply so the painting had some transparency.

I continued painting Herc in selective places over the photo until I was satisfied with the texture and the rendering. The piece was supposed to feel like a quick loose sketch/painting so I incorporated some over-lapping brush strokes, and some sketchy pencil work.
At this point I was looking for a sweeping design element to add in the background leading upward. I was thinking of the B-boys wearing Adidas and Puma track suits and shoes back in the day. I added three stripes, but I later abandoned this idea once I took the piece into Photoshop. I'll cover that process in the next posting.

The Shooting Of Dan McGrew

2008-07-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Another UPA animation that I love is called "The Shooting Of Dan McGrew." This is another UPA production based on a poem. Again, the bold designs are intriguing. An interesting element to this piece is the fact that their character design is so interesting that they can get away with painting some of the background characters one color and still focus on them for reaction shots.

The Tell-Tale Heart

2008-07-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Old UPA cartoons have been growing on me lately. I love their bold design, and quirky animation. Below is a UPA production of The Tell-Tale Heart by: Edgar Allen Poe. Note the composition throughout this animation. They did a beautiful job of incorporating shapes that will remind your subconscious of the old man's eye.

Don't Ever Call Me Stupid

2007-09-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of the refining passes on my latest assignment. I'm really excited because this is my first dialog piece ever.

Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes

2007-02-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

My boss listens to National Public Radio (NPR) all the time and he told me about a show called "Talk of the Nation" that was going to be discussing Hip Hop artists and the image they portray to the world.
Listen to it here

The guest for the show was a film maker by the name of Byron Hurt who's documentary "Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes" will be debuting on PBS tonight. He went around and asked many prominent artists about their content and what they thought of the many ways "hip Hop" can be viewed as destructive. It sounds like Mr. Hurt was pretty much confronting these guys in front of a camera. I believe the film has interviews with Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Jada Kiss, and a host of other artists in the lime light.

I think Mr. Hurt is doing great work. I also think he's doing exactly what many of us in the underground have been doing- transforming Hip Hop in order to prayerfully transform individuals.

Check it out tonight on PBS, and support. Peace.

B. Hurt's Myspace

Ballie's Final Turn

2007-02-16T00:18:00.000-08:00

I tweaked the splining on Ballie's turn around for what will most likely be the last time. This animation is nowhere near the polished stage that I want, but it'll have to do. I'm moving on to other animations and projects. Farewell Ballie.

Purple and Brown

2007-02-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Aardman studios has really gone back to their roots with a series of shorts called Purple and Brown. The animations are simple and very well done. Below are some of my favorites, but they've posted a lot more on this youtube channel.

This Is War Tour Videos

2007-02-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Enoch "Who" Live

Jupiter 7 with B.I.G.P, Heavensake, and J Werley on the turntables

B.I.G.P. "Something Must Be Done" Live

Chef "Get Down" Live

Insomniaddicts "Fear and Self Loathing In San Francisco" Live

Linear Pass For Ballie's Turn

2007-02-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

SketchCrawl #12!!!

2006-12-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Time for another world wide SketchCrawl! If you're in the Northern California Bay Area, we'd love to have you sketch with us. If you're not in our area, go to SketchCrawl.com and search the forums for a Crawl near you. (Don't worry. We have groups all over the globe)

Creature Comforts

2006-12-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

Aardman Animations Ltd (Wallace & Grommit, Chicken Run, and Flushed Away) sent AnimationMentor.com some previews to their series entitled "Creature Comforts." They gave us permission to share them with the public so I posted them on youtube.com here. Keep your eye open for these animations on CBS in 2007. Below is one of my favorites.

Scary Mary Trailer

2006-12-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of fond memories of Disney's "Mary Poppins." As a child there was nothing more entertaining than watching a witch haunt little Brittish children in the London fog.

Week 10

2006-12-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

Look. Ballie's fat and happy!

Week 9: My first successful walk cycle

2006-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

AnimationMentor.com beats out any training that I've recieved from my other schools by far. But in regards to training in animating the dreaded walk cycle, AM has completly obliterated their competition.
At the Academy of Art in San Francisco they showed me the "skating technique" in my 3D classes. This included a 10 minute demo before they threw us to the wolves. Things like weight, hip movement, overlapping motion, and timing weren't even discussed. (with exception to my intro to 2D animation class at the Academy taugh by the Awesome Cora Craig)

Anyway, here's my first successful walk cycle. It's a little weak in the knees still, but I'll be polishing it up in the weeks to come.

This is the second assignment. We had to pose STU in a concerned gesture.

Week 8 Pose

2006-11-18T02:07:00.000-08:00

They wanted STU to show some power this week, so this is what I came up with. I kind of added a bit of a feminine spin on this one because I realized I haven't really created any feminine poses. Hey, I'm an equal opportunity animator alright?

Week 7 Revision

2006-11-18T02:05:00.000-08:00

This is an animation demonstrating overlapping motion with the tail. It might seem boring now, but just you wait till I incorporate all of these principles in a scene. Yeah, then you won't complain...

Week 5

2006-10-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

So I turned in my week 5 assignments a few days ago. I thought I'd post them up in an attempt to stay consistant for once in my life.

The pose assignment was to make the STU character look devestated. So without further ado here's STU winning an emmy for best performance...

The next part of the assignment was to bounce a ball through an obstacle course they gave us. (I cheated and modified the course a little) This assignment was exciting despite it's bland appearances because this marks the first time they allowed us to use squash and stretch on the ball. Check out the Path of Action sketch I used to plan the animation first. The animation will be below it.

I need a new video host

2006-10-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

This photobucket video hosting thing isn't working. It won't play my videos on a loop, and it seems to be playing them slightly too fast. Maybe I'll break down and buy QuickTime Pro.

Weighted Ball Test

2006-10-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

It needs a few slow outs on the drops of the lighter ball, but you get the idea...

A Cryptic Visit

2006-10-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

Monday October 16th Chris and I visited Cryptic Studios in Los Gatos, CA. If you don't know already, Cryptic Studios made one of the most popular online MMO's on the market today "City Of Heroes." The follow-up "City Of Villains," has also done very well, and boasts one of the largest fan followings in the online gaming industry. Cryptic is currently working on "Marvel Universe Online." An MMO based on the popular Marvel comic book universe.

One of my fellow classmates at Animation Mentor is Stephen Stacy. He's an animator at Cryptic, and he was gracious enough to invite the local students to his place of work for a tour.

I have to say our visit was great from start to finish. Everyone at Cryptic was friendly, and more than willing to answer any questions we had about their company and the industry. Stephen was gracious enough to even give us a few pointers on how to build a successful demo reel for a game company such as theirs.

We were wined and dined, not to mention both their art director Shayne Herrera, and CEO/President Michael Lewis took the time to stop by and field a few of our questions.

I was thouroughly impressed not only with how we were treated, but also with their mentality and working environment. Cryptic usually has a 40 hour work week which is pretty good considering most studios ask atleast 50 hours/week. That's not to say they don't have crunch times, but they are a family oriented company, and it shows by the number of employees who are actually very awake.

Probably the most impressive point of the day was learning that City Of Heros was their first game, and it was a smash hit. This has allowed them to be in the position of already obtaining large properties and franchises for their next games and they are in the process of tripling the size of their company in the next year. Needless to say things are looking up for Cryptic, and I know i'm going to be submitting my demo reel once it comes time. Why not? I've already been invited to do so by their staffing manager.

Animation Mentor Week 3

2006-10-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

STU is excited this week...

Sketches

Final pose in Maya

My bouncing ball excersise

Animation Mentor Week 2

2006-10-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm in week 2 of my first class at AnimationMentor.com We just had our first assignment where we were to go somewhere public and do quick observational drawings of people as they passed by. Not being a noob to the whole drawing unsuspecting victims in public game I chose the mall's food court and sat down facing the mall with my back to the court. This way I could at least capture people's various walks. Many people made the mistake of sitting in Starbuck's where everyone's sitting, and there's no room for people to get up and do anything interesting. That's ok, I made the same mistake when I started.

Here's a page of gestures I captured that evening.

Here's the sketch that I chose to finalize

and here's the pose in Maya

The theory behind assignments like this one is that animation is just a long series of poses. Learning how to build a successful pose with concepts like: line of action, asymmetry, and silhouette is a darn good place to start learning the craft.

I can't tell you how much better Animation Mentor is than my previous alma maders. The environment is so comfortable and everyone wants to help you. This is real character animation instruction created by animators for animators. I wouldn't recommend anywhere else over this beautiful institution.

IdeaMechanics.net

2006-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished the main page banner for IdeaMechanics.net

Old School

2006-08-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

Remember this classic piece of rotoscope animation?

We the People feat. Gil Scott Heron

2006-08-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

My small tribute to Gil Scott Heron

Elevate LA

An Interview With Two Of My Mentors

Raising Money

Tight Rope by: Brother Ali

My Faults

Space To Dream In L.A.

Community Development Through Art

My Origianl Art For Sale On EBay

Bid on my auctions-John T

Books books books!

The Story of Stuff

O' Little Town of L.A. by: Danielle Bennett

Pico Union on BBC Mundo

Buy A Song For Skid Row

Thoughts on Lupton's COMPASSION, JUSTICE and the CHRISTIAN LIFE

New York Trip Fund Raiser June 27th

Andrew Marin and Chris Huertz Discuss the Issues between the Church and the Gay Community

New York Night '09

Brookyln, NY Missions Trip '09

I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)

Joe Finally Hanging Out At The Berrics

Take A Trip Inside My Mind

Visit My New Art Blog

Freddie Joachim: Free Download

Shane Claiborne Interview

Know Your Roots on WallBlank.com

Keep Art Legal

The Meaning Of Christmas

Elias: So Cal Artist To Watch In 2009

What Do Bugs Bunny and Pixar's Presto Have In Common?

Brendan and the Secret of Kells

S.A.Y. Yes: Pico Union

Coraline Full Trailer and Interview

Surreal: Pardon My Dust FREE DOWNLOAD

The Best Cafe In Pico Union

The Rise Movement

Kristiansand, Norway

Fast For Our Future

Global Persecution

Was The Gadfly Project Vandalism?

Bachelor Sauce

Mr. J Medeiros: Free Downloads

Best Ice Cream in L.A.

Pictures from New York

The Graf Lab

What's Next For the Gadfly Project?

The Gadfly Returns After Deportation From Beijing

We The People Event: Sat Sept 27th 2PM

Free The Robots: Free Download

SketchCrawl L.A. Oct 25th

Let's Paint the Town Red Part 2

Let's Paint The Town Red

One Day As A Lion Review

SketchCrawl #20 L.A.

The Making Of Oktapodi Video

Romero's Daughter Explains the Gadfly Project

Skid Row's New Garden

Persecution of Falun Gong In China

New Message From Gadfly Romero

Coraline!!!!

Oktapodi

Why Protest In China?

Another Message From the Gadfly

Author James Mawdsley Speaks About the Gadfly

The Resident

Tesla Motors To Be Manufactured In California

A Message From The Gadfly

Gadfly Rumor #1

Gadfly Project on NBC4 Los Angeles Pt. 2

Gadfly Project on Channel 4 Los Angeles

Project Gadfly Press Conference

Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation

Protests in Beijing

Team Report After Brooklyn

Pray For The Children of Brooklyn

Micro Loans

BUMP Trip to NY

Kool DJ Herc Tribute part 1

The Shooting Of Dan McGrew

The Tell-Tale Heart

Bid on my auctions

-John T