Inspirations to Me

These are things (songs, videos, quotes, lyrics, etc.) that inspire me, the way that I think and the way that I approach life.  My hope, of course, is that you may find inspiration in them as well.

1. In the book "Mere Discipleship," author Lee Camp shares a story given by Will Campbell from his autobiography "Brother to a Dragonfly" about a conversation he had with a member of the KKK during the 50's and 60's.  In this conversation, Campbell, while judging the motives and reasons of the KKK member is challenged to his own complicity to a culture of peace created by violence.  As a church, I think we should rightly too be challenged, while criticizing others for their blatant violent actions against others, that our silence or passivity also serves to support structures of power which function by oppressing others.  Campbell questions how the KKK supposedly stands for "peace, harmony and freedom."  The man responds that it is he who defines how those words are played out.  Campbell responds:                                                                                                                                                                                  "What means are you wiling to use to accomplish those glorious ends?"  "Oh, I see what you're getting at.  The means we are willing to use are as follows:  murder, torture, threats, blackmail, intimidation, burning, guerrilla warfare..  Whatever it takes."  And then he stopped.  And I stopped.  I knew that I had set a little trap for him and had cleverly let him snap the trigger.  But then he started again.  "Now, Preacher.  Let me ask you a question.  You tell me what we stand for in Vietnam."  Suddenly I knew a lot of things I had not known before.  I knew that I had been caught in my own trap.  Suddenly I knew that we are a nation of Klansmen.  I knew that as a nation we stood for peace, harmony and freedom in that war, that we defined the words, and that the means we were employing to accomplish those ends were identical with the ones he had listed."  (Camp "Mere Discipleship" 36-37)                                     
2. The Homeless Gospel Choir "The Best Things in Life"; I had the privilege of seeing Derek play, acoustic punk gospel (in the sense that his words were "good news," not of Christian faith) sandwiched in between two fairly hardcore punk bands.  It was a spiritual experience to say the least.  In fact, as I was singing along, I found I couldn't actually sing anymore, too choked up.  The best things in life aren't things at all.  How true, yet how often I find that I seek my happiness and joy in anything but love and good times with friends and family.  And I realized that in the busyness of life, I was (am) seriously missing on the "best things in life."  Yet, I desire this. Enjoy and be inspired.