Africa Arising! (New Song) :D

♫ I believe a New Song is coming
A song that's never been heard
I believe a New Song is coming
And this sound is gonna shake the earth! ♫ :D
When I came back to SB in the Fall (The beginning of Hebrew year 5774) God gave me lots of hope and excitement about this year! So many promises!! I haven't shared them all coz of "being still problems":( but most of them aren't that new just more clarity and confirmation to promises He already gave us. (Main Section: New Song 2014!!)

INTRO: (Feel free to skip this section lol. If you are new to my blog I'm a story-teller so I divide stuff into sections so you can read the ones you want if you don't want to read the whole thing. The main sections start from Goliath/Pharoah: Mass Incarceration in America, onto Prison Break and the application: ONE VOICE -May 17th )

The Mystery of the Singing Laptop lol

Only Photo I have w/ Ray & Yoel :-)

So towards the end of Fall quarter I was in the ADCRC room in the SRB (African Diaspora Cultural Resource Center in the Student Resource Building) working on my paper for Third World Cinema Class. Ray was also there doing work and Yoel later joined her... So anyway, I was re-watching Sarafina for my paper (we had to choose a film about Africa and write about it so that's the one I choose). And though I had seen it before when I was like 5, I saw it in a totally different light. My mind was being blown as I was watching this "vision" unfold - yes I just knew in my spirit that it was prophetic --> pertaining to what was currently occuring and also speaking to the near future. When the song, ♫ Freedom is Coming Tomorrow! ♫ was playing in the movie I looked at the date and that's when I realized it was Jamhuri Day the next day and it was already Jamhuri Day in Kenya (Kenya's Independence Day). The SRB was closing and I had just finished watching the movie and hadn't started on the paper which was due the next morning. So we were packing our stuff away and getting ready to leave while making some small talk then this happened: I closed my laptop then this song started playing from it, "Surrender" by Barlow Girl. Then Ray and Yoel were like, "That's creepy having music play from a shut computer" and Rae was like, "Well it depends on what the song is saying." And that's when I was like, "Surrender" - I know that may mean nothing to you (whoever's reading this) but it meant something to me. I'm a random person so God speaks to me randomly. (Don't worry I'll tie all these puzzle pieces together by the end of this)

Anyway I went back to my room and tried writing the paper but I was torn between writing the paper and blogging about it so I didn't get much of anything done that night so I woke up in the morning and did the paper like 2 hours before it was due - so it wasn't good quality and didn't express everything i got out from it. Then after I turned it in the morning I came back to the room then went on youtube to listen to music to de-stress then youtube recommended the song below to me which also blew me away by giving me more confirmation about the same stuff I got out of Sarafina. K without further ado let's now jump to the main message of this post- what I wanted to share in that paper which was titled, "Africa Arising" (I'll give you the full background story later-- info about myself and what put me in this situation).

♫ This is the New Song, Rising from the underground!... the vision is an army of young people. You see bones? I see an Army!...♫ 
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SARAFINA!

"The Sound of Freedom"

Sarafina! is on netflix so I recommend you to watch it if you haven't already. And if you don't have access to netflix you can find some clips on youtube. I'm gonna break down my "Africa Arising" paper while adding more material and thoughts.

Synopsis: "Sarafina! takes place at Morris Isaacson High School in Soweto, where, in 1976, about 200,000 black students assembled to protest against government decree that imposed the "official" language of Afrikaans as the new medium of instruction in their classes, instead of their own language, Zulu. The police and army came to break up the crowd, and many children were injured or killed. The uprising marked the beginning of a period of violent unrest that continues even today. The students' focus has grown beyond the issue of Afrikaans to encompass every aspect of the black political struggle. Through story and song, Sarafina! follows the activities of a fictional class at today's Morris Isaacson High School and, in particular, one girl named Sarafina who inspires her classmates with her commitment to the struggle against the government. In the musical's explosive finale the students present a class play about the symbolic Day of Liberation they all dream of—when their hero, Nelson Mandela is released after more than 20 years in prison." (Sarafina Review)

Third World Cinema

To begin with, Sarafina is a third world cinema film. There are certain differences between third world cinema and third cinema. Third world cinema addresses the issue of exploitation and marginalization with respect to the the third world. It also focuses on the inter-connectedness of humanity and highlights the issue of sovereignty. On the otherhand, third cinema is more about the content and view points and less about the location (although its origin is in the third world). It’s about engaging in certain social realities and it focuses on ascetics. Third cinema is about re-evaluting cinema itself and comes out of the spirit of independence. Experimentation is key to third cinema. It rejects the dominance of the west and strives against the autonomy of Western practices, incorporates marginality  and it is self-reflective (Class notes, 3/12/13). Therefore, this film is an example of third world cinema rather than third cinema since it is more about finding one’s own voice to tell one’s story as the film was taken from the perspective of Sarafina, a Soweto girl, and it glorifies the story of resistance and feminism rather than being sympathetic with the perspective of the whites who were all for maintaining apartheid at that time in South Africa.

The Youth, Education, Womanhood and the Generation Gap

This film raises and challenges various issues such as racism, classism, ageism, and male chauvinism through the main character, Sarafina, and gives hope for the future of Africa through the central role of education and music and the younger generation.

I really love the relevance of this film; it's pertinence to this hour in history as it's all about movement, change, challenging the current education system and striving for a better world.

Education Vs. Activism?
Let's begin with the generation gap! The film begins with a group of boys burning down their own high school. The male principal is outraged by this action and when addressing all the students during the school assembly he says, "If you don't want education then you might as well blow up your own brains!" But the guys seem to have a different perspective of why they were in school. One boy said, "You think they put us here for Education? They put us here to keep us off the streets."The boys who burned the school earlier used the school grounds as a place to meet up and organize their next action which they literally took to the streets. They organized a boycott of a particular store but found opposition when trying to involve the older generation. "Go back to school and mind your own business! Where are your parents?" one woman responded (paraphrased). "My daddy is doing the same as you. Nothing. That's why nothing changes." Then they resorted to violence (grabbing their groceries and throwing them away) since things were not going their way. *So what's the generation gap here? The younger generation think that the school system is some kind of conspiracy to keep them from messing with the status quo and advocating for change. They are all about taking action in the "now" whereas the older generation want them to wait their turn while receiving an education.

Sarafina and Womanhood

Let's also add feminism to the discussion. Having an African woman as the main character is contrary to the use of women as props and possessions in other films.

Sarafina is about womanhood -the nation is symbolized by a woman. I looked up the meaning of her name -which is also the name of the film- and I thought it was cool: "Sarafina is of Hebrew origin where it means fiery or burning ones. Sarafina is a variant transcription of the English, French, and German name Seraphina." (Sarafina definition ) Sarafina takes part in resisting apartheid in spite of her gender, as well other strong female characters such as Sarafina’s mother who lives with and works as a maid and nanny for a white family in order to provide for her own family which she never gets to spend time with, Sarafina’s teacher Mrs. Masambuko who instills a sense of cultural pride to her students even though it costs her job and even her life and Sarafina’s friend who passionately leads the group in song and dance on three significant occasions. This focus on womanhood is a challenge to patriarchy and male chauvinism. This is especially evident on various occasions such as in the opening scene when Sarafina’s uncle who is a drunkard and verbally abusive, lets out his frustrations on the children and then blames Sarafina for not disciplining the children and he also puts down his wife for defending her. In this scene Sarafina is portrayed as a mother figure, she is the one having to raise her siblings in the abscence of her parents. “Sarafina you’re getting too big for your boots. Sarafina, Queen of Soweto, madame beautiful.” Her uncle didn't say this to her as compliment rather in a sacarstic and condensending tone. This shows the responsibility that’s laid upon her even though she is just a high school student. It also shows her maturity and strength ~ the strength of a woman to persevere and survive in the face of male chauvinism.

Another example of where this is embodied is when Mrs. Masambuko wants to pick a student to play Mandela in the school play and Sarafina volunteers for the part. A male student objects because she is a girl but Sarafina stands her ground and he backs down. She challenges the traditional role of women in a patriarchical society and by defending the idea of a woman playing the role of Mandela she is highlighting the fact that women can be freedom fighters and revolutionaries, though they may not receive the recognition that they deserve.

So the boys wanted to take action and were willing to do anything that would bring change even resorting to violence, but what about the girls? For starters, they were definitely not down with the status quo. "I want more... more than this!" Sarafina exclaimed. At first Sarafina opposes violence, "What's the future in burning schools?" But it had gotten to a point that she was fed up and desperate for change, and was was warming up to the idea of fighting for change. Here's a conversation that she had with her mother. Her mum asked her:"Who's going to buy your school books?"// "School books are full of lies!" // "At this rate, your going to end up like your father." // "I'd rather die like him than live like you." This contributes to the generation gap discussion, how the youth were ready to fight for change but the older generation seemed to be complacent and more concerned about getting by from day to day. It also shows her mistrust of what they were learning at school.

Reforming the Education System
The kind of education that they were receiving was constantly put into question throughout the film. Mrs. Masambuko their class teacher was even called into the principle’s office to be questioned by the white lieutenant and she was warned not to teach anything in addition to the syllabus but she found a loop hole to keep teaching her students their history, instilling in them a sense of cultural pride. She told her students, “History is a beautiful thing. Do you know why? History teaches you where we come from. I want you to know this. I want you to be proud of what we get right and tell the truth about what we get wrong and learn from it. Otherwise, what’s the use of tomorrow if you don’t learn. All you got is today and today and today.” Unfortunately she later had to pay the price of this type of education with her own life. (Related post: Reforming the American System, Reforming Education <- That was the very first research paper that I wrote in college. I broke it down in those blogposts starting with that one)

Furthermore, the police imprisoned the students for a while to torture them to “teach them a lesson” after they resorted to riots and violence and ended up killing a police officer. Before she was tortured Sarafina was called in to be questioned and one of the things the officer was upset about the riots was that it was by children. He wanted to know who was really behind it because “school kids are unable to think up such things.” He underestimates the power and potential of the youth but at the funeral of some of students that were killed at the school by the police, the pastor recognized their power and potential. He gave this moving speech: 

“They fear you because you are young. They fear you because you are the future. How fearful they must be that they shoot you children. How powerful you must be that they fear you so much. You are powerful because you are the generation that will be free. The violence, the beatings, the torture, the killings, all these are the birth pains of our free nation. Please God may I live to see it but if I don’t, I see it now on your faces like the light of the rising sun and my heart leaps within me as if I too were young again and I know oh yes I know. FREEDOM IS COMING TOMORROW.” Then they all burst into singing the song below: Get ready mama, prepare for your freedom! FREEDOM is coming tomorrow!

Towards the end of the film, after Sarafina is tortured then released she walks home to her mother. She decides to let go of the hate because hate only begets more hate, she honors the older generation by praising her mother for her form of resistance by existence, survival. She is reunited with her aunt and siblings then she goes back to the school which is burnt down and finds her friend nicknamed “Guitar” there. She tells him, “I have come to do the concert... We can sing our song... I just want to sing our song. Just once.” Music has been instrumental method of communicating emotions and aspirations throughout the film and it is music that Sarafina returns to as the key to moving forward. In the same way, I think the hope of Africa lies in it’s youth and their ability to create using their God-given musical and artistic gifts and talents. Our ability to paint a picture of the future that we want to see and make it manifest by doing so. The future of Africa is educating the youth about their real identity and teaching them to sing a new song. A song of peace, love, unity, resilience and victory. This song will shake the earth and bring forth a whole New World! Sing a new song, oh Africa, Sing!

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The Sound of Freedom: The Sound of Music!

"The boys can fight but what can I do?" Sarafina asked her teacher Mrs. Masumbuko who replied,"You know what they say, If you want to find a way you must first know where you're going." // "I feel like I belong somewhere else, somewhere I haven't seen yet but I'll know it when I see it."-Sarafina thinking to herself while on the bus to see her mum. 

I'll come back to those quotes but I wanna shift gears and go into the role of music in the film. First off, it is a musical ~ lots of singing and dancing so there's that. But there's something else, Mrs. Masumbuko is their History teacher as well as their Music teacher. Get it? She teaches them who they really are (where they come from) and where they are going (music is their future). On the cover of the film it says, "She was their teacher but they were her hope."

I want us to focus on 2 scenes especially. The first is the one in the picture above during a music lesson.They were brain-storming what to do for their class production at the end of the year. Mrs. Masumbuko told them:"You think of a happy ending and you've got a show." People shouted out different ideas then this one guy says, "Jesus comes back" and they all laugh at him."Mandela comes back!" Sarafina exclaims. "Yes, yes, yes. Day of liberation. Mandela comes back from prison. I like that," Whoppi chips in (Then some guy sings, "Free at last! Nelson Mandela!") "It will make a great show, only they won't like it... It will make trouble and they're looking for the trouble makers."

But after that the film took a different turn, the policing of the black students increased and this one guy, Guitar and disabled father was threatened by the police -a black police but he didn't side with the students but was focussed on doing his job and following orders from his superiors. Sarafina and her friends were really mad but one of them said,"No need for killing. When the people rise up, you'll see him singing a New song, Viva Mandela, Viva!" But later when Guitar was threatened at gun point, thrown out of a moving car is when they put a tire around him, poured gas and burned him to death :( ...I'm going backward now, so let's move on... After the school kids were arrested and tortured they were set free to go back home...

"Freedom is just the beginning. Think bigger, like your idea for the school play. The prison door opens, the prisoner walks free. What then?" ~Memories of Mrs. Masumbuko's words in Sarafina's mind. In the last scene Sarafina returns to the school ground and finds Guitar there and tells him: "I just want to sing our song guitar, just once! Can you imagine that day? Millions of people waiting in a big building in Soweto. The whole place vibrating. Dust rising to the skies. Air filled with the sound of laughter. Waiting for Mandela. Waiting for Mandela!"

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Africa Arising! New Song 2014

"Our time will come."- Sarafina.  I have Good News for y'all... Our Time has come!! =D Well it's not news for me...I've known it for a while now... like for 2 years... just got really distracted from sharing it... mostly due to issues with myself. To tie what I shared in the intro of this post, when the song, "Surrender" played from my closed computer when I was with Ray and Yoel, for me it was God telling me to Surrender to His will for my life and also to Surrender (give/share) what He has given me to others... and not just "others" but specifically the black community. We are in the struggle together so the only way forward is together. It's just been a long journey for me of accepting my identity and using my voice coz there's been lots of opposition/distractions... but focussing on these distractions keeps me from listening to God and also makes me really selfish coz I'm left in a depressed state which keeps me from sharing my life with others. And by the time I make my way back to being with the black community I'm sad and I beat myself up for keeping myself away for that long. But anyway, thank God for His Grace =) K let's move on to the GOOD NEWS!

♫ And this is the sound of the underground, the whisper of history in the making, foundations shaking, revolutionaries dreaming once again, mystery esteeming and whispers conspiracy is breathing, this is the sound of the underground.♫

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GOLIATH / PHAROAH: MASS INCARCERATION IN AMERICA

So at the last ABC (Afrikan Black Coalition) Conference at UC Santa Cruz, Salih Mohammed pointed out that the biggest issue that the black community is combating is Mass Incarceration. (Watch the video below) He showed a picture of the US flag side-ways so the red stripes were jail bars and there were a pair of black hands holding on to the bars and in place of the stars were names of corporations that benefit from the incarceration of black bodies and profit from the stuff that the make while in jail - which they are paid little to nothing for their hard labor. When I saw this picture everything was coming together... Mass Incarceration was the Goliath and the Pharoah that God was telling me about in the posts like Hair Revival, and quite literally in the "Prison Break" post... Yeah I knew God was bringing freedom to my family and my community but not just spiritual freedom but the whole shebang... yeah it's about that time, this age is ending and a whole new world is issuing forth... the Kingdom of GOD! Heaven is invading earth! (There's another side as well -new world order- but I won't get into that right now but you can check out the post: The Kingdoms if you have no clue what I'm talking about) ... So yeah, when Salih was up there and he mentioned that Mass Incarceration would be the main focus for next year's ABC I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo! Well not outloud but with everything within me. It made me sick to the stomach and pained my heart... "Why! talk about the same problem for another year! Why should this problem even exist next year! I've been here in the U.S just around 8 years now and I'm already FED UP! and this also pained my heart coz I know that this problem could have ended 2 years ago, or even last year, if it wasn't for people like me not rising into God's promises. So at that point I just had to speak up, otherwise I'd regret not saying anything... so I looked for a way... I ended up talking to Salih after  asking him if I could say something, he asked what and I said "prophecy about the black community" then he sent me to ask Jocqui coz he was the MC. Then I ended up going up there to make an announcement... and though it is love that drove me there, how I shared what I shared was out of fear of rejection so sorry everyone who had to witness that lol. I actually had good news to share...

So yeah heaven is invading earth, and it's not something we stand aside and wait for but it's something we partcipate in... in a way, it's a response to our rising up that will change the world.... So what kind of Revolution is this???

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NEW SONG! END-TIME WORSHIP MOVEMENT: MUSIC, MEDIA & the ARTS

In the post: REAL Identity that's when God was teaching me about my identity when I was super-oppressed and part of a multi-ethnic christian group on campus called, "InterVarsity Christian Fellowship"... and not just my identity but ours also in regards to the situation in America. He taught me about the prophetic destiny of the black community... how he wants to use us to start a revolution to break down the empire... first through advocacy (speaking up against systems of oppression and fighting for the freedom for the oppressed coz it's equality that brings true unity) and then after that he was going to use us to start a worship and prayer movement that will prepare the whole world for the reign of Jesus, who is coming back really really soon to restore justice and we shall reign with Him as well. Yay! :D

So what's so revolutionary about music, media and the arts? ....At my first ABC, Dr. Stara Lewis asked us the question, "What is your light?" She went on to say how the black community has been gifted with movement, musical and artistic talents then she asked us, "Are you majoring in your purpose?"... I find that so on point because it's exactly what God had been telling me, and why He "interrupted" my studies towards my career so that He could first teach me about me. "Education you discovering you and the universe." - Dr. Lewis. So what is worship? It's an expression of thanks or praise to God. So music, media and the arts are so powerful and can be positively progressive and even revolutionary if used by the oppressed as the means of achieving freedom. But how can this be? Well you see, God designed us that way (no, not oppressed) but so full of light (beauty, intelligence, song and dance and other artistic gifts) not just for the fun of it but He actually gave it to us as a weapon and key to out freedom. Let's take it a level deeper... we are in a battle and it's not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, powers and the principalities of this dark world... the devil, yes such a beast exists - post: The Kingdoms, doesn't want us to know who we are - who God created us to be so he binds us up through all ways (there's so many kinds of racism) but the most powerful weapon he uses against us is in our mind, he infects our thoughts and uses them against us (how we see ourselves based on how the world perceives us) but when we praise God  (I know it sounds like the dumbest thing and you'd rather go march, do teach-ins and lobby for our rights but please hear me out... I'm talking about a higher power... and I need to tell you about the times and our generation) ... when we praise God we defeat the enemy coz the purpose of the chains was to keep us from praising our God so we when we praise, it defeats the purpose and we loose our chains and I'm not just talking about the chains in our minds and hearts... can you hear that?... I can hear a rumbling sound... It's time to know who we are and the kind of power that we have... (Another thing before we move on: ABC 2015 is going to be at UCI and they said that they will focus on Mass Incarceration as well as Black Arts and all through ABC 2014 people were talking about taking back media and using the arts to change our image... and this was all really exciting to hear... AFRICA IS RISING!!! :D
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PRISON BREAK 2014! Day of the LORD!

*Revolution Time. Restoration of the tribes of Israel. Covenant Renewal*

"For Moses, God split the sea but for you He will split rock."~ Angel Michael to Joshua in the bible series. So there's something you need to realize before you just call me crazy before I say what I'm saying... you need to realize the TIME we're living in as well as WHO WE ARE. In the REAL Identity post I shared how God revealed to me through my experiences in InterVarsity (which was a model for America since all the staff were white and the fellowship was multi-ethnic... especially through my interactions with the staff) that my family and I (and within the black community) is Hebrew blood from the tribe of Judah -- and within the white community is the tribe of Ephraim. At his death bed Jacob (who had 12 sons -> the 12 tribes of Israel) blessed his sons and prophesied their future. Ephraim  was one of the sons of Joseph (that's the guy who was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt then later rose to power and saved all Egypt and his family from drought) and Judah means "Praise" and his father prophesied: “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until He to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be His. Binding His foal to the vine and His donkey's colt to the choice vine, He has washed His garments in wine and His vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk."(Genesis 49: 8-12) The exciting thing is the story of Joseph, father of Ephraim, (slave->small promotion to work in Potiphar's house -> false accusation-> jail -> interprets dream-> second in command in the land, a father to Pharoah, saves Egypt, reconciles with other brothers and saves Israel, him and his family given land to settle in Egypt) is now the story of Judah (one of the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery) that means it's PROMOTION TIME! YES FREEDOM TIME! REDEMPTION TIME! POWER TIME! RESTORATION TIME! GOD TIME!! OUR TIME! Need more proof???
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BLOOD MOON, BLACK POWER, DAY OF THE LORD, PRISON BREAK

So during Spring break I read Joel 3 and Joel 2: 28-32 (talks about the blood moon, day of the LORD, restoration of fortunes of Judah!) and I included some of the verses in this video, "Let The Lion rise in you." Then you all remember the blood moon right? That was during black power week and another "coincidence" was that in my Religion and Tourism class that week was focussing on "Black Power excerpts" and another cool fact that was also Passover week (when the angel of death went to kill the Egyptian babies-coz Pharoah did not let the enslaved Israelites go- but passed over the Hebrew homes coz they had the blood of the lambs on their doors- symbolic of blood of Jesus/His sacrifice for our redemption - and that was the last plague coz after that Pharoah finally let them go and they marched out to their FREEDOM! :D

Also did you notice that there were many small earthquakes like a hundred over Spring Break? And then people were predicting a huge one in the near future? Well, that time is NOW. It will be in response to our praise and prayers that He will act... Creation is groaning... God's been waiting for us to seek His power,  He is waiting for us to rise up and reveal the glory that's inside of us to the world. Think that's crazy? Well look at American history, at a time when of racism and segregation was rampant... heard of William Seymour, he's an African American man and a pioneer of the Azusa street revival that begun the pentecoastal movement around the world... I wrote a post about it: William Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival and especially read this article: The Great Earthquake because like they also experienced tremors then a huge earthquake hit San Francisco that same year of the Azusa street revival. Anyway, the sound of our music will literally break open prison doors and bring freedom to our people.... just like in Joshua and the battle of Jericho and how the walls came down through their obedience to God (marching around the city, blowing trumpets, shouts of Victory then God fought the other battle for them, Other related posts: Africa Arise, and Prison Break.

JESUS MUSIC! WE'RE GONNA SHAKE HEAVEN AND EARTH!! :D

Jesus, as you know was not white nor Americanized (thank God!). He first came as a lamb to teach us the ways of the Kingdom of God, to serve, heal the sick, He fed the hungry, raised the dead, called out the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, He hung out with the lowly and despised in society, He didn't judge the tax collectors, He didn't judge the prostitute, He defended her from being killed by the religious leaders and most importantly, Jesus came to die on the cross for us so that our relationship with the Father may be restored. He brings freedom to our souls replacing fear with His Spirit of power, love and self-control. And He is returning to bring the Justice we've been crying out for. You know it's the endtimes when you see AFRICA ARISING!! Are you ready? Let's get ready now! (Related posts: Africa Arise, and Prison Break)

Remember the passage from Genesis 49 that talks about Judah, and also the Lion of Judah. Doesn't it look familiar to this one:"Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, He who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come." (Isaiah 63:1-4)

“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.... Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel." (Joel 3: 1-3... vs. 14-16)

"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12: 25-29)

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APPLICATION: LET'S COME TOGETHER AND SING A NEW SONG WITH *ONE VOICE*! THIS SATURDAY, MAY17 TH

Joseph's God-given gift of interpreting dreams was his key to freedom... well he had been interpreting dreams even while in prison... but it was when God gave a dream to the Pharoah that he could not understand that he needed Joseph's service and the wisdom God gave him set him free and promoted him on the spot. "What is in your hand?" God asked Moses, "Through this staff I will do my wonders!" "What is your light?"~Dr. Stara Lewis. "What does black power mean to you?" UNITY, MUSIC, DANCING! LET'S DO THIS THEN?? PLEASE! it's okay if you don't believe in God I GOT THE FAITH, I JUST NEED THE SUPPORT. HE PROMISED ME THAT WHEN I GATHER YOU HE WILL REVEAL HIS GLORY AND SHOW FORTH HIS POWER.

Feel free to respond to this or facebook me or email: charlenedia@yahoo.com or even call me if you want to be part of the night or (to talk about anything of the things I mentioned) or just show up this Saturday. See ya then! =)