The intro makes me laugh every time.  I want to start having guests on The Fettered Heart TV.  If you want to be a guest contact me and I will see how we can make it work.  I also want to do an interview or two for this here thingy.  I will also be introducing a new prop every week or so.  I got so funny arse gadgets in store for you.  Ryan out!

This is my challenge to the HSM phenomenon [Thanks to the Notorious B.I.G. ].

I am in awe of the beauty of simplicity and how God uses simple moments in my life to reveal compassion, renew my spirit, and bring joy to my heart. Friday I went to the Suds & Tan to do laundry. I like going to the laundry mat as it allows me to spend captive time wandering in my mind.

I was not in a good mood. I was stressed out due to the projects I am doing at the church. I was also not looking forward to a training session I was to begin the next day on “Children’s Worship & Wonder.” I was also not felling very well. My spirit was a bit low and I was questioning my effectiveness in my current call.

I unloaded my laundry from Danger Cart and went inside to find an open washer. I found two; one 30 pounder and a 20 pounder. I was bummed that there was not anything smaller. I loaded the clothes into the machines and put on my headphones. I began to wander in thought about effective youth integration in worship and how I was going to recruit volunteers to serve in the ministries.

I prayed for people, supplies, and vision for the churches mission. I prayed for peace of mind and hope. I prayed…with Yusuf Islam singing “Talal Badru Alayna.” I fell into a deep and peaceful place. Then my silent peace was broken by a tug at my sleeve.

I looked down to see a wide toothy grim attached to a smiling little boy. He met my peace with bright, dynamic eyes. We asked me if he could have one of the ear buds. I handed him one and closed my eyes. He had trouble with the ear bud fitting in his ear. I watched him struggle with it from the veiled corner of my eye. I smiled inside. He finally got the bud to stay and closed his eyes as well.

He toggled back and forth from eyes closed in meditation copying my posture and opening his eyes towards mine with anticipation of adoration. We sat there for the duration of the song playing a sort of hide-n-seek game.

The song ended and then I paused the iPod. I was afraid to share Muslim music with this little boy. I asked him, “Do you know what they are doing?” He said, “yes, they are praying.” I smiled inside a little bit wider.

“Yes and who are they praying to?”

“God”

“Who do you pray to when you pray?”

“My mom, my dad, my brother, and my [I was not sure what he said here].”

“Do you like to pray?”

“Yes”

At this moment I noticed a stock woman watching us. I introduced myself to the little boy.

“I am Ryan, what is your name?”

“Bai”

“It is nice to meet you Bai. Is that your mother?”

“Yes”

“Let’s go meet her?”

I walked over with Bai to his mother. I introduced myself to her. I was not able to make out her name. I believe her name sounded like Gomba. I am not certain. She had a very heavy African accent. I asked her if she was from Africa. “Yes”, she answered, “from The Gambia”. We proceeded to talk. She shared her story of her departure from The Gambia and the struggles she is having here in America. She misses home so much. She described her family and the food they ate. She had light in her eyes. She gently touched Bai’s head as she stated, “I miss my other five children very much.”

My heart filled with sadness that she was so far from her family. She longed to see them. She hoped to bring them here to America. All the while Bai played. He hummed and clapped at his mother’s side.

Her laundry needed to be changed as did mine. We departed to change the laundry. I put my loads in the dryer and looked around for Bai and Gomba. I could not see them. I sat down and listened to Miriam Makeba. My short encounter with Bai and Gomba made me long for Africa. I thought about the people I missed. I thought about the way family was the foundation of all social structure. I thought about how I could foster family in our church community. I smiled inside and it welled outside to the world.

Just then Bai came back with Gomab and he took a seat next to me and asked for the ear bud. He put the bud in his ear and began to mimic the sound of Miriam. It was beautiful. I watched with joy, peace, and admiration. He was a gift of God an answer to my prayers. I silently thanked God for this moment, taking care to just be.

I said good bye to Bai and Gomba and left the Suds & Tan with a renewed outlook on life. I was renewed in the Spirit on my worry and woe as my clothes were cleansed of the worlds soiling muck. I drove home lighter and cleaner.

The other night I was watching a documentary on Wu-Tang.  I had no idea how instrumental to the hip-hop industry they were.  All 9 artist released solo albums with various success.  Most were household names when ODB died in 2004.  RZA, GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Masta Killah, and of course Ol’ Dirty Bastard revolutionized the way hip-hop was recorded and left a gigantic mark on the world.

Hundreds of folks affiliated with Wu-Tang infiltrate hip-hop.  All got started with Wu-Tang!  I remember when 36 Chambers came out…it was after the summer I graduated high school and I was working at Sears.  It fueled my obsession with Shaw Brothers films as well as carry me deeper into the love of hip-hop.

Then there was Wu-Tang Forever, I used to listen to this album daily as I drove to work.  I love “As high as Wu-Tang get.”  Kwai Chang Dave and I would listen to the album and pretend to do kung fu shite on each other.

There is a method to the madness!  Wu-Tang…I am glad I rediscovered their albums.  I pray I do not lose them again.  There is a deep spirituality present in their music…one might say it is even prophetic.

This makes me smile.  DangerDoom is dope.  Palabra tu Madre!

25 facts about Chuck Norris…

1. When taking SAT exam, write “Chuck Norris” for every answer. You will score awesome!!!.
2. Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Jesus while he was praying in some garden.  Chuck then brought Jesus back to life so that he could save creation.
3. Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Chuck Norris has 72… and they’re all poisonous.
4. Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck made of Antarctic sea ice that is afraid to melt.
5. Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour.  He excused himself from the table and went to the restroom and returned with a happy Californian cow.
6. Chuck Norris will attain statehood in 2009. His state flower will be Bad ass.
7. Chuck Norris once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, “Bang!”
8. Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse… horses are hung like Chuck Norris.
9. Chuck Norris was one of the original plagues…he had to be written out of scripture due to his SAG membership.
10. In the Bible, Jesus turned water into wine. But then Chuck Norris turned that wine into beer.
11. Chuck Norris was the fourth wise man, who gave baby Jesus the gift of beard, which he carried with him until he died. The other three wise men were enraged by the preference that Jesus showed to Chuck’s gift, and arranged to have him written out of the bible. All three died soon after of mysterious roundhouse-kick related injuries.
12. Chuck Norris once ate a whole cake before his friends could tell him there was a stripper in it.
13. When Chuck Norris was denied a Sausage McGriddle at McDonald’s because it was 10:35, he roundhouse kicked the store so hard it became a Jamba Juice.
14. In honor of Chuck Norris, all McDonald’s in Texas have an even larger size than the super-size.  When ordering, just ask to be Chucksized.
15. When an episode of Walker Texas Ranger was aired in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris just to be on the safe side.
16. Once while urinating, Chuck Norris accidentally bore a whole to China where he ate lunch at a buffet and was promptly asked to leave because he was there for three hours.  China is now known as Chuckistan.
17. Yahweh was originally translated as Chuck Norris.
18. Chuck Norris always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego.
19. Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
20. Chuck Norris grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.
21. Chuck Norris uses Tabasco Sauce as eye drops.
22. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
23. Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
24. There is no such thing as global warming. Chuck Norris was cold, so he turned the sun up.
25. Chuck Norris killed Judas after he betrayed Jesus and then took his spot as one of the 12.No one said anything out of fear.