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Music Monday: The Arrows – Make Believe
Photo: New Release Tuesday I can’t help but be extremely proud of duo, The Arrows, when I hear one of their tracks on the radio, feeling especially chuffed at being a girl and South African and a Christian all at the same time since they are, well, girls and South Africans and God loving, all at the same time too. Needless to say I was so sad when I read that they will be splitting up. The pair posted a message on their Facebook page last week, detailing their decision to break up the band, assuring their folllowers that they each support the other’s decision. With this in mind, I decided to do a special review to their debut album, Make Believe, released in 2010. The album, which was a massive success in South Africa, has a very authentic sound in that Pam de Menezes (Now Myburgh) and Christie Desfontaine (Now Joseph) did not try to mimic the latest ‘hot and happening’ Christian band, but instead, they focused on showcasing their worship – full of flavor and spunk, with absolutely no clichés to be found!A little more about the girls: Pam de Menezes, brilliantly talented on vocals and keys, is a classically trained jazz musician. Christie Desfontaine, the cheeky and very gifted drum and percussionist, describes herself as “an atmosphere of thumpingly evangelical euphoria.” The pair were born and raised in Durban, South Africa and served passionately at their local church where Desfontaine’s mother pastors, until God opened doors for them in the broader musical arena.You may recognize the first single off the Make Believe album, titled “Love sick”. It pretty much became a household anthem after featuring in a popular KFC ad in 2010.The track serves as a very pop inspired introduction to the band and showcases their fresh sound and songwriting skills. My favorite lines are “I’m love sick and waiting for the day when You’ll make everything brand new.”Opening track, “No robots”, is an orchestra of synths and sounds, and speaks about God taking a chance on us by giving us freedom of choice, because He wants our love and not programmed robots. “Oh it’s poetry it’s genius/You don’t want robots/You want our love!”De Menezes has a tongue in cheek way of writing which is evident in songs like “Entropy” and “World Interrupted”. Both songs seems to be written as a wake up call for people to open their eyes to what is going on in the world! I love that both songs are written and performed in cabaret style, which gives greater emphasis to the lyric. And though different, it still maintains a catchy, “now” vibe, with Desfontaine on drums adding energy and flair to the repertoire.I really love “All in”, which is a sassy faith song speaking about going ‘all in’ with God and putting all your hope in Him. Again, de Menezes really has a way of saying things! It’s another synth party and a really fun song to listen to, with the message hitting home at just the right spots.Title track, “Make Believe”, is a piano driven ballade where she croons about waiting for God, her beloved, like a lovesick fool. De Menezes vocals is nothing short of pure and really adds something beautiful to the already beautiful lyric. Another beauty of a ballade is “Ode to a patient God”. This song made me feel such sorrow for friends and family who do not know the Lord. It reminded me how wonderful it is to know Him. To know that He waits for us, patiently, never giving up, because He loves us that much… and yet there are so many who do not know this love! This song really moved me.My favorite song to play in the car is “One for the brothers.” It is a dance song which speaks directly to unbelievers, again, in that sassy way that de Menezes seems to be so good at, but with a totally groovy beat and really excellent production. I especially enjoy the little bonus outtro that happens a few seconds after the song ends, during which De Menezes goes off into a rap-sing-song, urging those who do not know the Lord to “make a plan” and get to know Him. So fun! So fresh!I love how The Arrows have managed to fuse the Message with a sound that can speak to the youth of today. I found this album to be really inspiring and thought provoking, while still being able to make me dance AND enter into a beautiful moment with God. If you’re looking for something funky to play while driving home from work – If you’re looking for cool music for your birthday party – If you’re looking for something to put into your headphones or something that will stir you up and get you thinking… this is it!So I will end this off with saying a huge thank you to The Arrows – Pam De Menezes Myburgh and Christie Desfontaine Joseph. We thank you and salute you for being bold enough to write songs that say things that should be said, in this time and season and for being passionate enough to make music that is God focused, aiming the arrow of truth straight for the spirit of anyone who listens.This review was originally written for and published in Gateway News -
Allow me to explain my selfie
Ever scroll through Facebook and stop to gawk (in awe and amazement) at the beautiful and sometimes creative selfies our young people post? Oh good, it’s not just me then! I mean, how the diggens do they do it? The make up and gloss is just right, back drop is perfect, hair reflects the mood (going to work, just woke up, laying in bed etc). And then there’s a pout or the tongue is sticking out, or there’s an eye wink, or a gang sign is thrown… and suddenly I am feeling extremely old and outdated!
I remember a day and age where I was a self proclaimed Selfie Queen.
Mind you, selfies were not called “selfies” back then. I guess that’s because social media was not what it is now. I took pics mainly to document how good I think I looked (come on, you’re not taking photos of yourself to feed starving children in Africa). Nights out on the town were filled with selfie taking because, besides for capturing memories and all that, one had to document just how much of a good time you were actually having. (Question: If you went to a party and had a good time, and there are no pics to prove it, did you reeaaally have a good time? Hmmm….)
Soon, Facebook became popular and Facebook albums were a must. I probably uploaded an album every Monday morning (perhaps 2, depending on how particularly raucous my weekend was.) I was that Facebook paparazzi person. People began approaching me (while out) to ask that I take their pic. “Hey, it’s Luchae from Facebook! Take a pic of us!” I promise, that really happened, more than once! They recognized that I was that person. And I owned it like a boss.
(Exhibit A, below: The many faces and extreme obnoxiousness of a young Luchae Williams)
Since then, my life has changed. Things have calmed down and a lot of perspective has been gained. Facebook albums have been removed (or edited) and my Selfie Queen title passed down to a whole generation of “I look so good right now”-ers who are taking it to the next level.
I’ll admit, I am extremely cynical about excessive selfie taking. I often wonder if it’s just bitterness because I render myself unselfieworthy now. (That should be a word) I mean, is this a step towards degradation? Have I lost my spunk? Am I getting… gasp!… OLD?!
No. That’s not it. That can’t be it. I still have my own teeth, so I’m okay. But I do think that once you’ve passed the 30-year-old marker taking a photo of yourself just feels weird. Look, I’m not all innocent here. Let’s keep it real, I still take that secret selfie here and there. And confession time: I am an avid Snapchat selfie taker! They definitely do make me feel a little less crazy for taking a photo of myself, with my arm sticking out. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
So, friends, what’s your selfie timeline? Be honest. Do you keep it on fleek? Okay, that was a fluke. I don’t often use the words “On fleek”. I actually don’t know how it got into this blog post. I guess it just felt like the right thing to do, at the time. Sigh… oh how the mighty have fallen…
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Choosing life for my family
Life is challenging, yo. Let’s keep it real, shall we? It’s easy to paint a perfect picture of your amazing marriage, well behaved children and super rewarding career.
But what goes down when no one is looking? The reality is that even the most amazing husband can be slightly annoying at times (and slightly more than slightly, at other times). The well behaved children are not always well behaved and the rewarding career not always the life of a rock star that you had dreamed about.
After an especially challenging week of coming home to dishes and annoying husbands and misbehaving children, you just feel like throwing in the towel and saying all the negative words you can think of! But I’ve learnt that choosing life for my family is a daily decision.
What does “choosing life for my family” even mean?
Well, I saw this message this morning and it totally says everything that I can’t: Women can make or break the attitudes of our homes. Let’s build our houses with the knowledge of God that changes our behavior, the wisdom to communicate this knowledge to others, and the understanding to live out our faith. Because “charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30.
The amazing thing about God is that He has given us freedom of choice. We have the power to choose what we allow into our lives and into our thoughts. We choose how we react to situations.
We choose what we release into the atmosphere.
And sometimes we need to guard our hearts and our mouths – especially at home yo, when we’re not wearing the masks we put on to face the outside world. Home is where we’re most comfortable and often the most unaware of how we’re affecting the atmosphere.
I was just thinking that with the heinous amount of crime (even the small stuff) that takes place on a daily basis, it is so easy to become a statistic. It’s something we do our best to guard our family against. We put up security fencing and gates. We install alarms. We take out insurance policies. We take ACTION to guard our families against the “enemy” outside. But what about the “enemy” that we allow inside?
How often do we guard our family against negative words? What I’m saying in front of my kids? What do I allow them to confess over their own lives? What are my children seeing me do? What are they seeing me NOT do? How do I handle conflict, in my home?
As the mother of my household, I try to stay aware of my attitude and decisions knowing that it directly affects my kids and husband. I mean, I’m no super hero, but choosing life for my family means that I want to TRY to be the best I can be for them.
Today, I am challenged to choose to speak life over my household. I am challenged to not entertain anything that would hinder their growth. How about you? Will you choose to be a light, wherever you are? I dare you.
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What they didn’t tell you about: “…..Then comes a baby in a baby carriage”
Luchae and Christopher, sitting in a treeK-I-S-S-I-N-GFirst comes love, then comes marriageThen comes a baby in a baby carriageAnd then comes no more cuddling or alone time or lying in bed till 11am on a Saturday morningAnd THAT’S how that poem is meant to end!It’s the part they fail to mention, when you’re all smitten, with hearts in your eyes, planning your life and your perfect family with your perfect guy. Babies are hard work! And extremely demanding! Cute, but demanding.I had a moment this morning where I suddenly missed lying in my hubstopher’s arms while watching a movie.Or just lying in my hubstopher’s arms, period.Our baby co-sleeps – something I do not regret and am planning to do until she is 1 years old and no longer breastfeeding.But until then, no cuddle cuddle for him. Or me.Fortunately, I married the best guy in the whole entire world, and he is totally patient and supports our reasons to co-sleep but I think that we need to somehow work our way around it.Maybe more date nights? Maybe put her to bed earlier?So obviously, the first thing that came to mind now was to create a romantic cuddling rendezvous spreadsheet time table, so that we could work out exactly WHERE AND WHEN we can have some time together.How special.But hey, amidst the high school drama, homework, cooking supper, worship team commitments and other stuff, fitting in some cuddle time might be near impossible if we do not schedule it.And this, dear readers, is why it is SO important to marry for LOVE 🙂xxxL
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Music Monday: Tenth Avenue North – Cathedrals
Photo: Tenth Avenue North When I popped the new Tenth Avenue North album, Cathedrals, into my CD player, I secretly hoped that I would hear something other than ‘just another contemporary Christian band’. I had a craving for something different.But before I get into the review, here’s a little background info about this American based ensemble: They are a full on band, with Mike Donehey on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Jeff Owen on electric guitar and vocals, Ruben Juarez III on bass guitar and vocals, Jason Jamison on drums and Brendon Shirley on keyboard. The group, who has had a few member changes since conception, had originally met at Palm Beach Atlantic University, releasing three independent albums before its major label debut with album, Over and Underneath in May 2008. They went on to receive the coveted Dove New Artist of the Year Award in 2009 and Song of the Year in 2010. Cathedrals is their fourth studio album and has already reached Number 1 on both iTunes and Billboard’s Top Christian Albums Chart. Lead, Donehey, had this to say about the album: ” ‘I am a cathedral of God’s spirit’ we’ve been told in Acts 17, we’ve been told in 2 Corinthians 6, we’ve been told in Colossians and Hebrews that we are a living temple of God’s spirit right?,” he asked and then explained his reasoning, “Now I’m not afraid of this big bad secular world. In fact now I know if the spirit of God lives in me, everywhere I go I make it sacred, just when I walk through the door.” According to Donehey, it was this very thought that inspired the title and content of the new album. “So many of us live in isolation and we really don’t have to,” he shared. “So the idea is: ‘Hey get in the boat with us, sail by the stars of God’s promises and reach the shore of community.’ We realize that when we start to live together, we become the cathedrals on earth. We are the place where the spirit resides. It no longer dwells in buildings but in each of us.” Powerful stuff!The band has penned most of the album themselves – which I found impressive. I love that they write together as a collective. This album was written while on the road and only features 1 or 2 guest writers, which shows the amazing unity in the spirit between the band members – which is something that I admire.Right. So when I popped the new Tenth Avenue North album into my CD player, hoping to hear something different, I found exactly that. I actually started smiling during the first few seconds of the album opener, “No man is an island.” With a sound that filled the atmosphere, Donehey begins singing, as God, beckoning us to build community and not live this life alone. Great album opener!The following track, “Stars in the night” made me intensely aware of their amazingly sharp song writing skills. These guys have something to say and want to say it straight up – no sugar coating. This pop rock song starts off with a melodic piano riff backing the vocalist who sings: “No matter where you lead we want to follow you/Trouble is we forget who we belong to.” It later on goes on to speak about grace making a way through, even when we are filled with shame and brings across a message of hope and redemption.I am a huge fan of Track 3, titled “Iesu, Dulcis Memoria”, a hauntingly beautiful Latin hymn sung by Audrey Assad. Wow! I love the sudden shift in song style and that the song serves as a prelude to title track, “Catherals”, which is one of my favorite tracks on this album. I love everything about it – from the cool kick drum that introduces us to the song; to the hook that challenges: “Let joy take temptations place!”And then the album shifts into yet another genre of rock with song “I need You, I love You, I want You”. It feels a bit out of place on this album, but totally works, serving as a nice break away from the more mid and up tempo pop rock songs. It is through and through a worship song and its title literally says more about the song than my description of it ever could!“The Spark” and “Closer”, have a much more mainstream sound. The latter has a catchy piano intro and hook. I love that they don’t ‘mince’ their words and keep lyrics to the point. The bridge, for example, says: “Well I’m embarrassed to admit/The distance I’ve been feeling/Has all been self-imposed.” I love honest lyric that puts things into retrospection.“Stay” sparked my interest. It seems like the song speaks about marriage and divorce. Coupled with interesting instrument arrangements and a catchy hook, I think this is one that you should listen to while reading the lyric (which is found in the album cover by the way – score!)The brutal honesty in “We won’t numb the pain” made me wince! The track speaks about the cheap thrills that so many in the world are falling for and really hammers home a declaration with a bridge that sings: “We won’t number the pain!/Hands reaching to the sky/Hearts ready for the fire/Eyes open til we die”. I especially love the 2nd half of the song, which is really more like an outtro, titled “Fire”. It breaks down into a melodic guitar riff and Doneheys hauntingly beautiful vocal asking God to give him “one glimpse of Your lovely light.” It really is stunning!The simplicity of “All the earth is holy ground” rounds the album off nicely, summarizing the message that the band had wanted to share with this compilation.The Deluxe Edition features 3 more songs: “Just getting by”,“Forgive me” and “For those who can’t speak” which features Derek Minor and KB.As a Tenth Avenue North newbie and first time listener, I can wholeheartedly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this album. The songs are all written with the heart of the message in mind, the production is well thought out and the vocals are on point. I get the feel that each song was assembled in a way that is quite bold – an indication that they have been on the music scene for a while and are confident with their sound and know where they are going to. If you are looking for something fresh, easy to listen to and real, give this one a go! Listening to this album made me feel like I had just been on scenic journey and I was left feeling spiritually refreshed.This review was originally written for and published in Gateway News -
Teenager 101
I am the mom of a teenager.
This daunting realization only hit me a few weeks ago (months after my son actually had his 13th birthday) when we had an argument about his hair style.
Yep, it happened. I became that mom.The boy has decided to follow the new “comb over” trend (short back and sides, top hair combed over).
Example 1:
Photo: learnhaircuts.com But instead of maintaining it, he pretty much just wakes up and runs his fingers through his hair.
So its basically short back and sides, top hair… sticking out everywhere!
Its not quite “combing over” as the hair style would imply.
He has really thick hair, albeit isn’t curly, but it isn’t exactly Justin Bieber.I am sure you can tell that my boy is everything I am not!
If I am a list maker, he would be the one to use the list to stick his gum into.
I want things to be perfect. He wants things to be easy.With this said, I am slowly learning that I cant turn him into a mini me (like when I excitedly told him he could audition for the schools drama club and he looked at me as if I had leprosy).
Our kids are not meant to be like us.
And I am making peace with the fact that God has given them each unique personalities, traits and interests.
In order to bring out the best in my child, I need to support his dream and who God has called him to be.
Even if it’s uncharted territory for me!So after the realization that I need to let go and slowly step away from the hair… I remembered MY awkward teenage years where I insisted on wearing my hair in 1 style: a ponytail at the base of my neck… and not in a cute way.
Example 2:
Photo: Google Images Just as I grew into myself and into the woman I am today, he too needs to grow into himself, all by himself… without me making him feel like a dork about it.
So this me, officially stepping away from the hair….
xxxL
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The Journey Journal
Pregnancy and weddings have a couple of things in common. Well, for starters, they are flippen expensive. But that aside, I love the excitement of a new season and the expectancy of a new change on the horizon! And also, isn’t it amazing how you plan the “big day” for a couple of months and you literally sneeze and all those precious moments are finished. It is with this in mind that I started a journal while I was pregnant with our Curly. In fact, I began documenting every, single moment from the minute I found out I was pregnant. (spreadsheet brain, remember?).
I used it as a diary of sorts, to jot down my gynae visit dates and lists of things I would need to do as we began prepping for her arrival. I also wrote down my thoughts and daydreams, including photos, little stories, keepsakes that was special to me during this time. Before I knew it, the journal was filled with pages and pages of my heart, hopes and dreams, for my girl and a bunch of stuff, like advice and life lessons, that I would want to pass on to her one day. I plan to give the journal to her when she is 18 or 21 or on her wedding day, or something.
I recently had this revelation about her JOURNAL being a part of her JOURNEY. That’s what life is all about though, right? It’s all about the journey… the road you choose to take… the decisions you make, the memories you collect and the life lessons you learn and grow from! I want my girl to know that the journey of her life started when she was but a seed in my belly and that she was loved even then! I want her to know that God knew her name before she was in my womb and that she has purpose and every part of her life is special!Working with youngsters has shown me that there are so many who go through life believing that they are not as important as so-and-so OR not as pretty OR not as talented etc. The truth is that there are a lot of kids, out there, who simply lack the affection and love of a parent. We can blame it on social media or the Kardashians or heavy metal music but we really only have ourselves to blame. There is a lot more emphasis on living life a certain way and a lot less emphasis on the basics… quality time spent, words of affirmation, guidance and loyalty. We are rearing our kids in a hardhearted society where you get told that you have to be a certain way, in order to be deserving of love.
So yes, part of the reason why I started the journal was to share all these overlooked truths with her: You are enough. You are loved. You are perfect, just the way you are. But also, other significant things like the importance of being kind, loving those that other’s would deem ‘unlovable’ and acknowledging that every, single life is valuable and precious.
Ah if only more children could experience the kind of love that would help them to love themselves and OTHERS! What would our future look like, then? It is my prayer that my girl will grow into the kind of woman who knows what she wants and where she is going to! I want her to be a light in dark places and be a difference maker in her sphere of influence! I am so thankful that she is a part of my journey and so grateful to be a part of hers.
Mom, what sort of keepsakes and memorabilia have you set aside for your children?
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Booby love
One of the best things about being my daughters mommy is that I get to do something that no one else can – I get to feed her. Its so strange that there are so few who share my sentiments and I’ve had to explain my decision to breastfeed to a few more people than I’d care to explain myself to. It makes me wonder what on earth goes through the minds of sane human beings who look at me with “this girl is crazy” eyes when I mention that I love breastfeeding and I will do it for as long as baby girl needs me to. I mean, since when has processed, lab made milk been better than the milk that God had intended mommy’s to make for their baby’s? To each their own, I guess.
I think that the suckiest part of breastfeeding is the fact that I had to go back to work after 4 months and didn’t get to feed her as much as I wanted to. I did go through a few weeks of breast pump mayhem, but had to then start topping up with formula, since I was not pumping enough at work to send home for the next days feeds. She now gets about 3 formula bottles per day and then the rest of her feeds are mommy’s milk.I know that it would be easier to simply just give her the formula bottles and quit the breastfeeding (especially when I feel like I’m about to explode after a whole day of not feeding her and not pumping) but nothing beats the bond that we share after a long day of work and nanny!
So, for now, I’m okay with the accidental spills when I’ve failed to bring my breast pump to work. And I’m okay with looking like I’ve just went for DD cup breast enlargement surgery after 4pm each day. It’s all worth it in the end!
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How to be someones mom
In a weird way, I think that I rediscovered my “mom groove” after the birth of my baby girl. I’m calling it “weird” because I actually knew how to be someones mom before she was born. I mean, I was not completely foreign to the concept. My firstborn is in his teens, so I’m practically a pro! But rediscovering all the joy (and dedication) a newborn baby brings reminded me of the importance of being Mom. -
Changing my hairstyle one meal at a time
I have firm faith that 2015 will not end the way it began.
I mean, its so easy to ramble by, year after year, wearing your hair the same way, doing the same kinda things and being around the same kinda people.Not that all of this is bad all the time. I mean, some of the time, its kinda nice.But not this year… not for me.This is shocking because I hate change… which is why I’ve been wearing my hair the same way every year since the history of hair. So this is kind of a big deal.
Various pics of my (same) hairstyle spanning 2008 to present. I use to think I’ve got the whole Pocahontas hairstyle thing going, but yeah, its pretty much me doing absolutely nothing with my hair.Now, I’m not saying that I’m going on a huge hair cutting spree quite yet.I am slowly INCHING my way towards change. Just not the hair right now.But I am planning to do a whole bunch of other things different this year for the sake of growth and destiny and not being stagnant! I feel like there is soooo much happening in the spiritual realm and we kinda need to take steps of boldness to make it manifest in our lives.Some of the things I plan to work on this year (yep some are pretty deep but this one aint) is that I want to actually cook more than just the 10 or so dishes that are a favorite in our home.I’m not a terribly terrible cook, but I’m not exactly Nigella or Jamie.I guess what I’m trying to say is that, even though I actually own a cheese cutter – which is not a cheese grater, contrary to popular (my) belief – I don’t know the first thing about using it or why I would actually WANT to use it!Same goes for my herb cutter.Same goes for my whisker thingie.Same goes for my casserole cooker and ceramic serving dish.Yeah, it’s that bad.SO what I’ve done, in true excel-spreadsheet-brain style, is devise (i love that word….deviiiise) a list of recipes that are quite different to what I’d normally prepare for my guys.These are easy to make and look very interesting, oh and they are easy to make! (baby steps mmkay?)My spreadsheet has a list of each recipe and in a separate column, all the ingredients I’d need to make each recipe.So once I sort the column, I can then print a list of ingredients I’d need for a fun month of “Oh look I can make a casserole too”.I’m actually feel pretty chuffed that I am taking the first step towards doing something different in 2015.They say a change is as good as a holiday.Bring on the vacation!!!xxxL
