The Rebel Jesus

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Theyll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all gods graces
And the birth of the rebel jesus

Well they call him by the prince of peace
And they call him by the savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But theyve turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robbers den
In the words of the rebel jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel jesus

But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgement
For Ive no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel jesus.

Why, why, why...

Hello, Mr. Business guy
Could I bother you for a while?
Greetings, Mr. Congressman,
Do you mind if I jump in?
Good evening, young suburban wife,
Could I bother your perfect life?

You see I've got a tale to tell
About a girl named Annabelle.
She lives way down in Kenya-town,
With lots of children all around
Who didn't have a single thing
No parents, home, or a shilling.
The same went for Annabelle,
Every day a living hell.

No food except what the dumpster brings,
There's water, but it isn't clean.
But at least her schedule's very full,
When the day is filled with survival.
But Annabelle still dreams, too,
Of warmth and love and maybe school.
But she can't do this by herself,
Maybe you could show some kindness with your wealth...


Why do they say
It's so impossible?
Why haven't they
Thought of this little girl?
Why wouldn't they
Even give her the time of day...

Why, why, why?

Social Justice Generation

This Generation.

The heart of This Generation.

The identity of This Generation.

The essence of This Generation.


I found myself thinking the other day of a way to define the heart and dynamic of This Generation. Something came to my mind and really struck me as precise and defining. It is a name. It is a feeling. It is a personality.

We are the Social Justice Generation.

We are here to fix these problems.

It is our charge.

It is our challenge.

It is our calling.

It is our time.

And it is our heart.

Heart of a Generation.

The Social Justice Generation.

The Natural Feeling of Compassion From This Generation

The heart of This Generation is naturally compassionate for those living in our world who are suffering and struggling. I don't know if other generations had this or not, but it is very evident and obvious for This Generation. I know that I can't speak for everyone, but I would venture a guess that each person from This Generation has natural feelings of compassion for the people of this world. It is just a part of the Heart of This Generation.


It is almost like it is something that is engrained into our hearts - this compassion for our brothers and sisters around the world. These natural feelings of compassion spring out from who we are. It is a part of our personal lives, and it is a part of This Generation as a whole.

Indeed, the Heart of This Generation is a heart that is full of compassion and care for the world and those who live in it. We accept the sufferings and struggles of those in developing countries as the sufferings and struggles of our own. We seek for the help and hope for those living in poverty, sickness, and violence. These feelings are not something that we have learned or been taught, necessarily. But it truly seems that these are natural feelings that flow out of the Heart of This Generation.


The Heart of This Generation is filled with compassion for social justice in this world - and this compassion is simply something that flows from the very depths of who we are.

That's My Blood Down There... And My Heart.

My Blood
The Neville Brothers


Jah please come to the crossroads
You can save the children I know
Jah please come to the crossroads
tell them to let the people go.


Jah go to mother Africa
Answer this prayer for me
Jah go to mother Africa
Set all the people free.


That’s my blood down there—in mother Africa
That’s my blood down there
That’s my blood down there—oh, yes it is now
That’s my blood down there


Jah, turn your head to Haiti,
please keep your people strong
Jah, please go down to Haiti,
Hear my brother’s freedom song.


That’s my blood down there—oh, on the island
That’s my blood down there
That’s my blood down there—help them survive, Jah.


Amandla ngawethu—Patience,
gentlemenMayibuye


Jah, send some love to America
For every woman, child, and man
Send some justice to America
Free the blood of the land


That’s my blood down there—on the reservations
That’s my blood down there—all the Indian nations
That’s my blood down there—the first Americans
That’s my blood down there—I’m gonna help them if I can, now,
That’s my blood down there—All over he world
That’s my blood down there—Little tiny boys and girls
Oh, in Nicaragua
Oh, in El Salvador
Oh, in Belfast, Ireland

A Hard Song...for some hard lives...

As we wait for rides,
More light escapes from our eyes.

Life is hard enough anyway...

Sitting by the road,
No one's buying, so there's no hope.

Life is very hard today...

Traffic on the road
I'm not alone, but I'm all alone

Life is very tough this way...

What can a mother do?
When she comes home and there's no food

Life cannot be lived this way...

We sleep while we can,
Knowing tomorrow will be the same.

This is life in Zimbabwe...





By no means was this my full experience. I could never know what it means to truly live this way for an entire lifetime without an opportunity to get out of the viscious cycle of extreme poverty. I experienced this for a day. I witnessed this in several different places for almost a year. I was there: I saw the need; and I couldn't see the hope. Not there. Not then.

But soon. I can see the shape of the hope that can take place. So many people live in these situations. So many people shuffle through life with everyday the same agonizing struggle: travel, sell, travel, sleep. They walk or ride miles and miles to a marketplace to sell their things. Throughout the day barely anyone stops by to purchase their wares. They spend hours traveling back to their houses. There they are met by a lack of food and an abundance of disease and problems. Then they go to sleep - knowing that the next day will be exactly the same.

Yet there is a Hope and a hope. It is the Heart of This Generation to do something about this. It is our heart to support our world community in order to give people the hope and promise of a better tomorrow.

A better tomorrow.

A better tomorrow.

That is the Heart of A Generation.

A Child's Poem...

AIDS
by Boniface Kinywa

AIDS oh AIDS,

The mention of your name, scares me out the darkness.
You crept in and swept our continent.
From North to South and from East to West
Thousands and thousands you've killed,
Spoiled the beauty of our continent curse no meaning to life
Yet you are no sacrifice.

AIDS do you have Mercy?

AIDS, oh AIDS,

You are a deadly monster,
you've taken our fathers, mothers,
brothers and sisters, homes left full of grace,
why?

Just because of Mr. Slim.
Others call me Mr. Kill me quick,

Scientists have gone to the moon,
made nuclear weapons,
yet you are no sacrifice.

AIDS, do you have mercy?

Dear brothers and sisters,
Friends and relatives,
Sons and daughters
And my loving parents,
Lend me your ears
And get this message right,
With your broken heart I am asking you,
Please take care of the youth,
Stop bad habits, be faithful to each other.
This monster never sleeps, there is no cure

For AIDS, oh AIDS, do you have mercy?




Boniface Kinywa

Boniface Kinywa is a 12-year-old AIDS orphan

A Child

I've Gotten Past The Point

I've gotten past the point
Of reflecting on their happy smiles
In the midst of poverty.

I've gone beyond the thought
That they are happy as they are
Not knowing what they're lacking.

I've turned the corner now
Of allowing them to bless me more -
Not when I've so much to give.

I'm tired of them having nothing.
And I'm tired of the response of me.

And now must be today...

Sons and daughters,
watch the slaughter.
amidst the life and liberty
and pursuit of laughter.


Men and women,
Keep on living.
Don't bother with caring.
Just keep on giving.


Young girl, old man,
All you American,
Open your eyes
To the lands beyond your land


Brothers, sisters,
Do not be wishers,
The problems stay
And there's more disasters.


It should've been yesterday
And now must be today.
The time, the time,
My friend, to not look away.


Sons and daughters,
Brothers, sisters,
Young girl, old man,
All men and women,
And now must be today...
And now must be today...

Heartbeat for People

I was made aware of this fact again this week: the heart of this generation beats for people. Simply put – the heart of this generation is people.

We care about other things, as well, obviously; but we care most about people. We want to see our nations succeed, but we want to meet people’s needs in other countries first. We want to see our faiths furthered, but we want to make sure that we are loving people before we do that. We want to have personal success, but we would rather see people cared for and happy first. We all have different agendas and goals, but no matter what we do or what we are trying to do – we always come back to a love and care for people.

The heart of this generation beats for people – the love, care, and strengthening of people. It is where we start and what we always come back to. It is our focus and our first priority. The heartbeat of this generation is people.

The Heart of Musicians - The Heart of a Generation

In the 1960’s and 1970’s many of the songs revolved around war and peace. Artists wrote songs about Vietnam and a hopeful peace in the world. It seemed like this was part of the heart of their generation. Yet our heart is different.

Just like Daughtry, many other contemporary artists today have shared their heart in songs about social justice for the world. Celebrities are cooperating with nonprofit organizations to do what they can to help those in need. Through song or word or deed, our generation is showing our heart.

Our heart for social justice.

The heart of a generation.



What About Now?
by Daughtry

Shadows fill an empty heart
As love is fading,
From all the things that we are
But are not saying.
Can we see beyond the scars
And make it to the dawn?

Change the colors of the sky.
And open up to
The ways you made me feel alive,
The ways I loved you.
For all the things that never died,
To make it through the night,
Love will find you.

What about now?
What about today?
What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?
What if our love never went away?
What if it's lost behind words we could never find?
Before it's too late,
What about now?

The sun is breaking in your eyes
To start a new day.
This broken heart can still survive
With a touch of your grace.
Shadows fade into the light.
I am by your side,
Where love will find you.

What about now?
What about today?
What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?
What if our love, it never went away?
What if it's lost behind words we could never find?
Before it's too late,

What about now?
Now that we're here,
Now that we've come this far,
Just hold on.
There is nothing to fear,
For I am right beside you.
For all my life,

Begins With One

As Father Time runs his race,
We can count the years on their face,
Like a sad tree long dead.


Simple math can solve the day,
But algebra gets in our way,
Sometimes less is more they've said.


But if anything is to be done,
It must and will begin with one,
One nation, state, daughter, or son.


So see the pain and how they feel,
And make the solution real,
Maybe you can be the one we need.

One Thing...

ONE THING
Restless tonight
Cause I wasted the light
Between both these times
I drew a really thin line
It's nothing I planned
And not that I can
But you should be mine
Across that line

If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn't that be something

I promise I might
Not walk on by
Maybe next time
But not this time
Even though I know
I don't want to know
Yeah I guess I know
I just hate how it sounds

Even though I know
I don't want to know
Yeah I guess I know
I just hate how it sounds

If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn't that be something



What is your one thing? What is your one thing? The thing you just found out about? The thing you have been denying or ignoring and now you fully realize? The thing that just pulls at your heart so much?

I encourage you to go online and listen to this song. Don't just hear it - listen to it! Listen. And when you listen, listen to your heart as well.

The heart of a generation.

The Heart of Our Generation

This younger generation has a similar mindset. We have a similar vein of strength. We have a similar line of thought. We have a similar heartbeat. The heart of this generation beats for social justice.

We yearn to see people living in poverty get out of that vicious cycle. We long for those who are being oppressed to have freedom and fairness. We desire good for everyone in the entire world. And this generation does this because we view our world as a community. Something that affects someone in Africa or Latin America affects us living in America, too. When people are hurting in a different country, we feel that hurt here in America, as well. We are all in this together: that is the heart of this generation.

This website is going to delve into the heart of this generation. This website is going to offer a place for people to share their heart, to pen their emotions, to show their desires for social justice. Write your heart. Share your poems and songs. Put into words what you are feeling inside.

The heart of our generation is social justice.

Feel free to show that heart here.