Marbles With Thoreau

A shout-out to Mel George over at Re-Inventing the Adventist Wheel.

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Cruel and Unusual: Update

Governor Rick Perry granted a last minute commutation of Kenneth Foster Jr.'s death sentence, reducing the sentence to life in prison. That's enough to make my day, to know that every once in a while, justice does get served. I feel like Perry should have gone further, but know at least Foster has a fighting chance of making it out of prison to a family that's only known him behind bars.

Read about Perry's decision in the LA Times and in The Nation.

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Cruel and Unusual

In a few hours, the state of Texas will execute a man for a crime he did not commit. Many claim to be innocent, but few on death row can claim that their innocence is a well-established fact. Kenneth Foster will be executed today because he couldn't predict that his friend, Julius Steen, would step out of the car they were riding in, walk 80 feet and kill Michael LaHood. Foster is being put to death because he should have known better.
Under the Texas law of parties:

If, in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of the conspirators, all conspirators are guilty of the felony actually committed, though having no intent to commit it, if the offense was committed in furtherance of the unlawful purpose and was one that should have been anticipated as a result of the carrying out of the conspiracy."

Steen and Foster had been on a spree of robberies that night, but Foster should not be held responsible for a crime that Steen committed and and for which he has been punished--he was executed last year.

No one contests Foster's innocence in the murder, it is merely argued that the law must be carried out. I can't get over the sick surreality of the case, but Foster's daughter says it so much better than I ever could:



A childhood friend of Lahood's, Sean Paul Kelley has joined the fight to save Foster. He writes movingly about his struggle with the subject.

There's not much time left, but if you feel the urge to help Kenneth Foster, please visit the Free Kenneth site and get more information about what you can do.

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And Now, for Something Completely Different

First I should apologize for the less than regular posting...it's been a crazy month. Hopefully I'll be able to post some of the projects we've been working on in the coming weeks.
But now, to politics. I haven't said much here about the current American presidential candidates. I've been following the proceedings closely and have watched Barak Obama's ascendancy with some interest and hope. The man's doing some amazing things, and I'd like to see him go all the way to the White House, so today I'm announcing The Nomad Chronicles endorsement of Barak Obama as the next president of the United States, and here to help me is Michelle Obama.

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Merchantphilia

I fell in love with Natalie Merchant the moment I heard her voice and when I discovered her political and social leanings several months into infatuation, there was no turning back, I became a complete and committed Natalie-phile. Here is a clip from an upcoming documentary she produced with the help of non-profit Give Us Your Poor. With the help of artists who are or had been homeless, she records the song There is No Reason by Nichole Cooper, who wrote the song when she was 15 and homeless. Keep rocking Natalie.

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Fellow Nomads: Life in LA*

A guest blog by Melody George

I have a story to tell you. Usually I tend to write when things are going great. But it would be unfair to paint an inaccurate picture of what life is really like out here (especially to those of you thinking about moving out here); to eliminate the stressful times - the times when I feel like I'm just getting by - like I'm just treading water. Or worse, sinking. It's not that I especially relish being this transparent about my personal life, but that I feel it necessary - I feel compelled - to share the story. It's a rather long story. It's the story of Peter walking on water, looking down and seeing the height of the waves, starting to sink. It's about the grace of God to reach down and lift him back up, despite his lack of faith. And it's about God enabling him to walk on the water once again. This is that story, re-told.

Beginning of July, I didn't have work. There were various things I was waiting on, though - some editing work from BY, another short video for F&V Media, then the chance to go and to Nashville and shoot a promo video and make $2000. Well, I didn't get the gig with BY (I was occupied spending lots of money to get my car registered in the state of CA). The F&V People said they weren't quite ready to move forward and it might be another month. And last minute, the promo video got pushed to Sept. It was halfway through July, I hadn't made a dollar that month, and I was still a little behind from June. Everything I'd counted on had fallen through, and another rent check was due in 2 weeks. I started freaking out.

There were other things going on to stress me out. Weird pains in my right leg that got to the point where I could only walk a few blocks at a time. I went to doctors, and they weren't able to do much more than recommend some treatment which I couldn't afford, and of course my insurance didn't cover. On top of this I've continued to deal with back pain despite a fairly rigorous physical therapy routine at the gym every morning. These two handicaps limited the types of jobs I was able to apply for, all the while forcing me to spend money when I wasn't making any.

Between the financial instability, the physical pain, and some equally intense emotional stuff I was dealing with which I won't go into, I reached a spiritual low that I've never really experienced before. I wish I could describe exactly how I saw things in those moments. I just didn't know what to do. And of course I prayed, for specific things - for money to afford the medical care I needed, for a job that would accommodate my back problem, help me grow creatively as a filmmaker, and allow me to be a blessing to others, while providing for my financial needs. But it seemed like He just wasn't coming through this time. I reached a point of almost rebellious distrust: Well God, if you're not going to provide, I'm going to figure things out myself. I started applying for jobs like crazy online, and signing up with temp agencies. These were the proper steps, but the motive was wrong. It came from fear and distrust rather than a simple "I'm going to do my part and trust you, God, to provide."

But at the same time that God is there to ruthlessly root out with one hand anything in us that is sinful and unholy, he is there with the other to comfort and to heal.

I was pretty much at my darkest point, but I went to church and New Dawn Christian Village with my roommate Tamara, and it was like the entire service was tailored specifically to me. During the greeting time I passed by the Pastor and he asked me how my week was. "So so," I said. He looked at me and said, "We'll talk more later. I know how to pray for you." Then the service started, and they sang my song. MY song. And if you haven't heard 200 black voices blow the house down, in my opinion you really haven't lived. The sermon - "Where is Your Faith" - was about Peter taking his eyes off Christ, focusing on the storm, on the waves, and starting to sink. "Trust in God, trust in Jehovah Jira, your Provider. He will not let you go." Afterwards I went up front with several others, and the pastor prayed for us. He put his hand on my head and said, "We spoke earlier. He told me to tell you it's gonna be ok." A lady whose name I didn't even know came up and put her arm around me and said God had put me on her mind that morning. She went outside and prayed with me, and she said things she could not have possibly known to say. At the end I told her I was afraid I would become bitter because of the emotional stuff I was dealing with. She said she could tell just by looking in my face that I could not become bitter... that I was not the type of person who was able to become bitter.

The most amazing thing of all is just that God Himself reached out to me through these people - to comfort and to heal with a tenderness and an intimacy that is just... well... unbelievable.

The following week I still didn't find work, still had to deal with the pain, and like a good Israelite I slipped back into the mode of distrust. The attack was brilliant. Why does he provide for your spiritual needs but not your physical ones? Why isn't there any real, tangible help? What were you thinking, moving out here?

And again, He sought me out. At church the next week - this time at Hollywood SDA - a guy I didn't know said he felt impressed to talk to me, to ask me more about my week. I told him what I was dealing with, and then he prayed for me - for healing emotionally, physically, spiritually. He prayed for my faith. He reiterated: He will not abandon you, He will provide; it's gonna be ok.

Wow. I left in tears. It blew me away that once again, God would reach out in such an intimate way. How could I NOT trust myself to that? The rest of that weekend I was able to relax, to let go of the worries, stop striving and just BE.

On Monday morning I was planning to call in at the temp agency but before I could, I got a call from the School of Cinema and Performing Arts where I had applied for a T.A. job at their summer camp. I was hired that day. Three weeks of full time work doing what I love, that would pretty much cover my expenses for the next month, plus the amount I was behind from the previous month.

Even more significant was the chance I had to minister to these kids. I was teaching a group of 12-14 year-olds, and formed some amazing bonds with several of them. They were able to open up about divorced parents, anorexic best friends, what it's like to not fit in at school... To have a 12-year old tell you,"I'm just counting down the days till I get to go home, but you're really helping me get through this," pretty much makes your week. To have all the loser unpopular kids sort of gravitate to you, and to be able to make them feel wanted... to have the chance to tell Kayla (who would constantly complain about how fat she is, though she's not) that she's beautiful, or to tell the girl with the severely scarred face that you appreciated her performance...

I would drive home at the end of the day with such conflicted emotions. Such overwhelming despair at the evil these kids are dealing with and my inability to change it, and simultaneously such overwhelming joy at the chance to reach out to just a couple of them. And that God can use this proud, faithless, emotionally needy, broken body to do it...

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Cor 12)

The fact is, God is big enough to use anything and anyone to accomplish his purposes. And really, to be caught up in his purposes - it's the only way to live.

I want to live the rest of my life with the passion, the misery, and the joy that I've had for the past two weeks. I heard a pretty amazing sermon online recently called "Don't Waste Your Life." You should all find some time - that's right, carve out a whopping 45 minutes - and listen. It's about ultimate devotion to Christ; how every day, every dollar, every breath, and ultimately even your death can glorify God.

Here's the link:

I'm on a plane right now headed out to ASI (Adventist Laymen's Services and Industries). I was asked to come and share what it's like to be a missionary in Hollywood. I have to miss the last few days of film camp to do it, but God provided the funds to cover the entire trip. He is faithful, even when we're not.

My prayer for you is for deliberateness, for focus, for weakness you can glory in, and glorify Him in... and for the joy that comes from being used by him.

Don't look down.

***********
Melody George is a filmmaker currently residing in LA. She is on a journey toward contentment.

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Maintaining

Yes, I promise I'll get back to posting some of my own thought and experiences soon, but for now:

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TED: Eve Ensler

Eve Ensler has been one of my heroes for a long time. The creator of The Vagina Monologues and V-Day, she never fails to amaze and inspire me.
Be surprised, be scandalized, be moved.

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Say it Loud...

"...it’s Pride Week here in St. John’s, and it’s time for me to come out of the closet (a very small closet — there aren’t that many of us in here) and declare that I am a Bible-believing, evangelical, Jesus-loving Seventh-day Adventist Christian who doesn’t think it’s a sin to be gay. Or even for two gay people to marry."

Read the rest of Trudy Morgan-Cole's excellent blog here. (You can find the articled under the July 07 Archives, the blog post is titled "Coming Out")

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Ehmmmm?

Why Al Qaeda supports the emergent church. Trust me, it's better to pretend this is satire.

No, this article has nothing to do with our lovely president...but I had about the same look on my face when I was done reading the above.

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Nomadism 101: The Voivodina Region of Serbia*

A still from one of our music videos featuring Sunćica, a talented pianist.

The following pictures feature photography by tedMEDIA compatriot extraordinaire, Dragana U. They feature us and the many people who we met and with whom we worked during this last month. Enjoy.

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A Quick Hello

Hey y'all...I have a new blog up at Re-Inventing The Adventist Wheel. Head on over.

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Nomadic Times

To all my faithful readers (yes, every one of you is precious to me ;)
I won't be able to post as much this month because I'm currently in Serbia shooting a whole mess of music videos. Enjoy July...and stop by every so often...I might be able to post a bit of something here and there.

Cheers and Do videnja.

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Sunrise

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Random Thoughts

I was walking through town today and made a snap judgment about a woman who walked past me. As I walked on, feeling smugly superior, I realized I had noticed a brush of sadness as her mask slipped for a moment and I heard a furious voice in my head I won't forget. "How dare you judge her? You don't know her story. How dare you think of yourself as better." I had to stop at what is probably best described as the quiet righteous wrath of God. It took me a moment to compose myself. No, I'm not likely to forget that soon.

I love people with wry senses of humor. Mickey and I searched all over town for a simple piece of hardware with no luck, and we finally wandered into a cute light store and inquired. The owner was a man with a wry grin. He teased and bargained and we ended up in a playful bartering session. He jokingly mocked our demands and we teased right back. These are human moments I treasure.

I saw a black balloon desperately trying to lift itself off the wet ground, but it had too little helium and it's long black ribbon was soaked and heavy. It tugged and jerked, like a frantic animal on a leash...in slow motion. It finally managed to pull itself over the wall of the cathedral I was passing, and I like to imagine, caught its breath for a bit. There was, and you can call be crazy, a ethos of desperation and hopelessness that accompanied its futile longing for the open sky. It was a little heartbreaking.

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TED: Majora Carter

I'll be featuring videos from TED (Technology Entertainment Design) every once in a while on this blog. The post immediately before this explains in detail.

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Shout Out: TED*

What I love about the internet is that it still has the ability to delight me with random discoveries. What's funny is that this particular discovery happened gradually. I first stumbled onto TED (Technology Entertainment Design) a few months ago when a friend sent me the link to Aubrey de Grey's lecture on beating death at the 2005 TED conference.

I stumbled onto it again earlier this month, but never really explored the site until today. When I did actually begin to explore the TED site, I found an absolute treasure trove of great minds. The site has videos that span three years of TED history and the many great speakers and prize winners who have been featured there.

The idea of TED is something that really excites me. A meeting of minds in science, art, culture, entertainment, design and much much more. Time to end the compartmentalization of life and let all these disciplines merge and meld in one beautiful, crazy mess. A mess that just happens to produce beautiful shiny things ever once in a while. Alright, enough of that metaphor...

I haven't been able to explore the site much yet, but from my limited exploration,

I'd like to recommend a few of the videos featured there.

- Anna Deavere Smith is an artist who collects the lives of people she meets in her journeys. Here, she presents four of these poignant, heartbreaking, and sometimes humorous sketches. The third sketch, of a Korean woman expressing her emotions about the 1992 LA riots really grabbed me.

- Eve Ensler may not need that much of an introduction. She's one of my personal heroes, the mind behind The Vagina Monologues and the V-Day movement to end violence against women. She performs the opening monologue from The Monologues and talks about the experiences that led her to write the play. She also discuss happiness in mind and soul. Warning, this is not necessarily for those easily offended.

- Gregory Colbert, the nomad photographer and filmmaker, has been one of my biggest inspirations. His collection, Ashes and Snow, still awes me after repeated viewings. In what the TED website describes as a "rare public appearance," Colbert presents some of his ideas and ten minutes from his ethereal and gorgeous films.

- James Nachtwey, another photographer who greatly inspires me, is known to many because of the documentary "War Photography" about the man and his work. He was a child of the 60s and that era infused him with a passion for service and action. He feels that his photography, which shows the realities of war and suffering, can lead people towards peace and empathy.

- Majora Carter gives an intense presentation about her work to end "environmental racism" in South Bronx. Carter's initiative "Green the Ghetto" has already brought change to her neighborhood.

Other featured artists and speakers are: dance company Pilobolus, the avant-garde classical quartet Ethel, organic designer Ross Lovegrove (Captain Organic), Ideo (coolest design/solutions firm around) founder David Kelley, and Pastor Rick Warren.

Just this content alone will give you hours of viewing pleasure. In this case that you're interested, but just too lazy to travel over to the TED page, I'll be embedding these videos and future discoveries every so often here at The Nomad Chronicles.

This week I'll be featuring Majora Carter's fantastic speech.

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The Almighty Evan?

Head over to The Alex and Ben Show to see my thoughts on the "Almighty" film franchise.

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A Little British Humor

My personal disclaimer: I always did have a soft spot for Tony Blair, always will probably. Alright, enough with the sentiment, on with the mockery!

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This Mini-Rant is Sponsored in Part by GrapeNuts®

There are a few things that seriously frustrate me. Jumping to a conclusion about me is one of those things. Before I go on, I will admit I've done the same to others to my chagrin...I'm working on it. That doesn't stop it from bothering me. It's so easy to take a piece of information about a person and create an entire characterization. I'm fairly tired of having an entire personality created for me because of my skin color or my occupation or my age.
Yes I'm an artist but that doesn't mean that I'm bad at math or scatterbrained or messy. Yes I'm just 22 and yes I have much to learn about life. That doesn't mean I'm naive or or dependent on my parents or unprofessional.
This is an invitation to come get to know me, learn my story, my history, and if you have to make an educated assumption, alright, but not before.

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