Listen...It's Getting Closer (Or 3 Things I Want to Do in 2014)

Hello y'all!  Since I last blogged, my mind has set on three things that I want to do in 2014, which I have declared to be the YEAR OF #NOREGRETS.

Image By No Regrets Recruiting

#1 GRADUATE

Since 2008, I have been plugging away at my life's dream to get a Doctorate degree.  I had so many obstacles it's not even funny.  Most of the blockages came courtesy of my place of employment.  Now, here's something I am not afraid to hash out in public.  Blessed (BLESSED!!!!) to have a job, but oh the challenges that came with it.  

• Finding time to do the coursework.
• Finding time to sleep
• Finding time to have some semblance of a social life - and the biggie...
• Remembering to pray without ceasing.

The last one has been an ongoing challenge, but in the last few months it has become surprisingly easier. Maybe because I have so many hopes and dreams for 2014.  My dissertation is coming along nicely, however, and my Committee Chair says I'm on target for July!!!!

#2 HAVE A LIVE SHOW

The EP I'm working on with ROLLER8 is coming along quite nicely.  I think that because I don't have any dough to get PR and all the things you need to be taken seriously, that the product must be QUALITY!  I'm singing the best way I know how.  There is always room for improvement, and I am committing myself to transform my art, and to actually play out somewhere.  So...a concert.  Me.  Performing somewhere soon.  Meanwhile, listen to IMAGES one of our songs from the yet-to-be-titled EP from Roller8 Featuring coco street... 

#3 TRAVEL TO EUROPE FOR THE CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Image by the Telegraph

I have heard soooo much about the beauty of Europe in Winter.  I am thinking maybe some sort of combination of Prague, Copenhagen, Paris, London, or Vienna, for the Snow, Christmas Markets, sausages, and mulled wine.

Those are three things I'd like to do in 2013.  

You might be asking where the Lord is in all of this?  Well...it is all according to His Will, of course!  I can do none of it without Him!

The Rebirth of Ideas and Concepts?

Image by Mixed Nuts

I have been on, perhaps, one of the deepest soul searching journeys of my life.  I feel as if I am in that Yellow Wood, obstacles in clear view - the well traveled road beckoning me to carry on.  I wait at the mouth of that yellow wood.  I wait for the Lord to tell me which is the path to fulfill His Will for me.  I muse within myself whether or not to release that well trodden road, that comfortable well planned place.  But that place carries with it much pain.  It also carries with it a sense of duty and responsibility.  The other path has much uncertainty and lack of financial support.  Dare I, at this place in my life, dare I take this untrodden, unexplored, uncertain path?  I see so many on the intersections with their signs, "Hungry."  "Please, spare some change."  "Help me."  Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.  Are these hungry, spent souls not righteous?  Who's gonna be bold enough to judge their paths?

Don't we need some help and "spare change" sometimes?  The Just shall live by faith.  But would it be radical faith, or radical foolishness for me to forsake that comfortable road now?  "Don't leave without another job!"  "Why would you leave something like that that you prayed and fasted to be blessed with?"  Ah...the rub.  I DO NOT desire to be out of my Lord's Will...but where I am has become a toxic and painful place; and all at once noble, and heroic, and socially/morally responsible.  "Suffer the children to come unto Me, and forbid them not..."  If we expect to reign with Him, we must also suffer with Him.  Yes I have thought upon, and heard, and do consider all of those things, "But you have paid your dues."  

Oh. Really?  Have I?  

Indeed, I have been payingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingandpayingand... now what's next?  

I stand.  I keep creating, for God is creative, and He made me to create.

I keep working until that which He has given me is seen by all those He has given me to see what He has given me to create.  I had believed, once, that whatever I touch fails.  That's a lie...I just need to keep going in boldness and strength.  Oh. I have let you in on a little secret - Yes, I feel as if I have been an epic failure.

But the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but in she that endures....

Two Powerful Views About Money, Power, and Wealth: Becoming My Own Philip

Image from sixnotes.com

Thinking about the Book of Acts, Chapter 8 today, and understood this to be two views of wealth, and what to do (or not to do) with it. 

First, There is the view of Simon.

This man possessed a power so magical and dazzling that he amassed loads of groupies who utilized the Social Media of their day to decree that Simon had the "Power of God" ...until the Apostles Peter and John came to town.

Simon immediately started to hang out with them, watching as they laid hands on the people so that they might receive the Spirit of the Lord.  Simon was so dazzled at this Power, that he offered some cash to Peter and John so he could get in on it too.  Peter said to Simon, "You and your money should both be destroyed, because you thought you could buy God's gift with money."

Then, there's the story of Queen Candace of Ethiopia's CFO.   While coming back from church, the CFO was reading the book of Isaiah out loud, and wanted to know more about the Man, whom Isaiah was talking about in his book.  

Enter Philip, sent by God to walk alongside the CFO's chariot, who asked the officer if he understood the words that were coming out of that book.  The officer said he needed it to be explained, and offered for Philip to sit next to him in his chariot and break it down to him.  After a while, the officer was so dazzled that he wanted to get baptized immediately.  The two found a creek or something nearby, and in it, Philip baptized the CFO.  When he came up out of the water, he found Philip had vanished, God having sent Philip elsewhere to do something.

Wow.  Two views of wealth and power.

Simon tried to buy it and couldn't, treating God's Power and Wealth as a commodity.  The CFO recognized an opportunity to receive true Power and Wealth by seizing that God-sent moment with Philip: and he received it all. 

I am in the process of setting my life in order to align with God's plan and purpose for my life...thus, I am on a quest for being a good steward of "Godly Wealth," such as is taught by George B. Thompson, which emanates from the Holy Spirit rather than "things," and is given to me by the grace of God.  In a word, I am becoming my own Philip: I am leading myself to a place of recognizing and seizing the opportunity to do  something (or not do something) with True Power, and True Wealth.  I recognize today, that:

• To change my outer landscape, I must renew my inner landscape going forward...and it is truly a serious fight with my "self." 

• Transformation is a moment by moment yielding and commitment. 

• Transformation is the formation of new habits not taught in childhood that, when consistently and wholly applied, will change my life.

• It all starts with my THOUGHTS, and the true Will To Do/Will To Succeed ...and recognizing the power of what to do (or what not to do) with a moment. 

Reinvesting in your most important asset - YOU, is a continuous process loop of Renewing the mind.  Here, I have developed the Continuous Process Loop of Godly Self Transformation, or (Renewal = R³).

1. Refocus on the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving.
2. Realign yourself with His precepts and principles.
3. Respect the process, not the content, to invest and reinvest in God's Plan.

Image and Concept  by Colette (Coco) Street © 2013 All Rights Reserved.

The other day, I had a great discussion with my Mentor, Dr. David Blake Willis, about the scholar/practitioner and life journey I am on.  In the midst of that conversation, I had one of those realizations that I was experiencing a moment to seize, that will change the rest of my time left on earth...

...to be continued.

What's Behind a Groove?

Ever wonder what drives the creation of music?

For example...the photo shows a chick swingin' to a guy hammering out some serious vibes.  The song I chose, Harry Breuer and his Quintet playing Bumble Bee Bolero was done in 1957.  Listening to the song, you can hear his musicianship, but the song is tame as opposed to the "zany jacket" and "cheesy instrumental pop"

I wonder about this now, because Roller8 and I are in the throes of making our latest EP.  It's our first volume of work together since we released DWD back in the mid 90s.  We had a focus to get some music out, and to make our "sound."

Now in 2013, we are defining and solidifying that sound.

Behind our grooves will be thoughts of loved ones gone to be with the Lord, songs of thanksgiving and yearning for his Glorious Return, along with intimate discussions about past inside joke rendezvous in countries afar.  

You can also expect some SERIOUS GROOVES!!! Roller8's keyboard technique is out the box as he studies the intricacies of harmonic structure.

We are spending a lot of time working on our new music.  I am also working on new treats to share with everyone.  This is our time...time to join the ranks of musicians, singers and DJs that have lit up the dance floor with sizzling floor burners.  

We should probably wait until you all hear our work, and judge for yourselves.  But I think it doesn't hurt to toot your own horn now and then.  We're having a little good natured mischief of our own - all for God and Mom.

Everything Old Can Be New Again!

I found this track and tampered with it a bit - slowing down the tempo to a chilly vibe.  It sounds very nice IMO.  I inboxed Dalminjo to see if he would utilize his gifts again to make it even more up to date.  I hope he does.  We were once a pretty good team - but I let time and tide ebb away at the partnership.  He's got some really great things going on.  Check him out by clicking on his name.   Dalminjo, if you're peeking at this, how 'bout it?  

At any rate, enjoy what I have posted here.  Please share it with others who need to know the reason for Jesus' visit to earth, where He taught, healed, suffered, bled and died. 

i want to live!

i once heard bishop TD Jakes say something of this ilk, "i'm not afraid of dying.  i am afraid of coming to the end of my life only to discover that i have not truly lived."  y'all remember shawshank redemption?  "git  busy livin', or git busy dyin'"?  that is precisely where i am right about now.  what talents have i buried in the ground, out of sheer and utter fear?  God is surely dealing with me.  there shall be no dying on the vine...

dj T -Bird swoops by to encourage...

sometimes i forget who is lurking around, and actually paying attention to what i'm saying.  such one is dj T-Bird!  he swooped by from "the bird house" to give me a dose of the real, like building the audience by playing house parties, being aware of the existing  snobbery between the dj vs. "live music," and playing what i like...after all, who wants to play music they despise? (i love it).  well, since then i have begun compiling my list...and listening, listening, listening...

the continuing struggles of a suppressed dj

dj dj dj.  still wanna do it, go through with it, but where will i spin?  who will dance to my tunes? moreover, what will catch-a-fire?  i know there are many who have wondered what life would be like if they chose to do the thing that is taboo, that thing they always talk about in moral sitcoms where the person lives out their dream which alienates their people because they met this person when they gave up the taboo dream and began life as they knew it.  but one can only keep a caged tiger tamed for so long.  it has to come out somehow, and then risk being beaten back into safe submission by friends and family who are afraid of the taboo.  they don't want the taboo...they want safe little old you.  meaning well and doing it out of love, sure... but why can't we and our loved ones love all aspects of our creative selves?

by the end of that moralistic sitcom, the rogue is back in her safe little slacks and blouse with her briefcase and weejuns floating off to the corporate job of creative mundane-ness.  meanwhile the taboo's death knell sounds.

i feel bad about it.  i remember dancing at the old "does your mama know" back in the day and seeing some "senior dancers" moving through the crowd, drink in hand.  i felt offended at their presence.  "go back to the piano bar" i thought, asking why someone their age would have the gall, the unmitigated audacity to dare be in the presence of the fabulous young!!  now, i ain't a senior yet, but it's sittin' on the porch filing its nails waiting for me to join it!  if i walked into a place like that now, with half naked chicks writhing to the beats created by my generation, would they give me that get outta here jeer?  you bet they would.  if i created a club for people like me would they come?  only if it went no later than midnight, unless tomorrow's a vacation day or holiday.  if not, no dice.  gotta get up and weed the garden in the morning, you know.

maybe it should be a little hobby like cooking or needlepoint?  oh...what are your hobbies, ms, coco?  who, me?  after i write all of my court reports and send them in, i comb out my mohawk and go dj someplace.

hmmm... nice.

preparing for a podcast...

so...one thing i have always wanted to do is to be a dj.  to host my own show featuring music that is deep and beautiful, and most importantly, music that speaks to my soul.  i remember working at a certain station, which shall remain nameless, and wanting to be an on air personality.  i was told that i "sounded too urban."  read into that what you want to.  i was then given cork and marbles with the instruction to work on my diction.  that was then, and this is now.  i'm gonna produce me a show - a podcast that will be relevant and lovely and fun.  most importantly, i will enjoy it, and i hope others will too.  but in case nobody gives a rat's wazoo about it...oh well.  i'm making it to please the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and to hear those precious words...WELL DONE.  stay tuned - or not!