Pretty Glitter & Flashing Lights

In general...creatures are attracted to, drawn to, startled by, and or obssessed with shiny things.

Singers, rappers, wannabes, gonnabes, dreamers and groupies like to adorn themselves with things that glitter.

When I was in elementary school, almost ALL arts and crafts projects during Christmas time consisted of cutting little figures out with those dumb safety (can't cut for shit) scissors, elmers glue, crayons...and the piece de resistance: GLITTER...

Even if you couldn't color in the lines, if you couldn't cut straight, and the globs of glue caused the ink lines to bleed everywhere...if you threw some glitter on that joint, the teacher would hang it up in the classroom...and from a distant glance...Your work looked like everyone elses in the class.

THIS...is the same today in the entertainment industry.

Talent has an ugly step sister...her name is...well...TALENT.
Talent COULD be a DOPE singer with amazing pipes...great vocal control...perfect pitch and great stage presence...but TALENT could ALSO be the people behind the singer; setting up gigs, making calls, setting up meetings...but the Jekyll-esque side of the Ugly sister...are the vocal doctor-ers (producers) who can make a tone def blonde bombshell sound like she's been coached all her life...Throw some gel in her hair, with a smoky eye, a lil' lipstick, some leggings...and a little body glitter...not to mention a little autotune in her mic...and she's been doin' this since way back when...she shines...and fans are attracted to that shine.

GLITTER...

My friend Troy and I laugh and talk about how long gone are the days where you could walk into the office of a big time record label exec and perform and sing your HEART OUT and get "signed". These days, if you have an amazing web presence and following, you're more likely to make a name for yourself than Lil' Ty'Shawn, who may not have a website, but he can sing you under a table...you both have TALENT, just in different areas.

GLITTER...

People are infatuated with the shine...but does anyone ever stop and think about where the glitter came from? What made the glitter? What process did glitter have to go through to become glitter? Who decided that glitter was glitter?

HENRY RUSCHMANN.

Most glitter & glitter products are used briefly. After glitter is used, it is showered off, entering waste water systems, or swept up for disposal in landfill. Glitter is not recovered or recycled in any way.--- DAS DEEP!

I guess I figure...like this...If we focused more on what's making the glitter, or more on how to make our own shiny, tried and true products...we could figure out a way to make a talented generation that will not end up in a disposal or a landfill.


SHINE ON...but do it for real.

J

Long Story Short....Pray!

Everyone's got their church hats on for this one.
Everyone's got their WWJD bracelets on for this one.
Everyone's got their saved, sanctified and filled with...What?

I don't like to give my opinions on current events in the media and rarely will you ever read a blog from me defending or speaking against any action of a celebrity because it is almost always a waste of time, but after a recent controversy involving a minister and members of his congregation have come to public attention, it's become a feeding frenzy for "BELIEVERS" and "NON BELIEVERS".

Everyone has their opinion on what is right and what is wrong. Most people have spoken as if they were this minister's right hand man. It's as if they were in the room when these alleged events took place.

ALL CONFUSION AND FOOLISHNESS ASIDE...There's been a blatant attack on a man's integrity and character. If you look closely, this is not a battle between a minister and 4 young men...This minister's guilt or innocence is not the issue here...at least it's not the biggest issue. Christian people, can you see it for what it really is this time? Is his face not visible to you, are his horns not visible to you? I'm not talking about the minister, I'm talking about the evil that has clouded the minds of so many people.

It's like the enemy sent a time bomb wrapped and neatly packaged with his name on it and placed it in this center of controversy. All of a sudden, everyone is an expert in noting sexual misconduct and everyone is stating how they "knew something was going on". WAKE UP people!

Can you not see who developed this attack? One woman, a youtuber, made a video bashing this man and his members, and although I am not a member of his congregation, the video was like some type of poison. It hurt to watch. People are seeing the actions of Christians and they're blaming the dysfunction for their own transgressions. They're blaming this incident for the reason that they don't attend church.

The battle is so much bigger than one Atlanta pastor and some young boys. The battle is so much bigger than families hungry for financial compensation and media attention. This battle is so much bigger than arrogant opinions and uneducated remarks.

I do not condone indecency in the church, nor do I condone indecency with any child...heck I don't condone anyone being indecent...Everyone should live and respect others to the best of their ability. We do not live in a perfect world, but in this case, age and ignorance are not equal. Young men, open your eyes...WAKE UP!

I cannot point blame at anyone. I can say that we should all open our eyes to what is really going on in this situation. Money and media attention may not be the only motivation for the recent outing and air of dirty laundry, but it is indeed motivation for some.

One victims father has stated, "I think he should be banned from his church. I think he should do jail time, and he should pay the victims for the hurt. He should be used as an example."

Now how ridiculous is that? The truth is such a bitter pill to swallow sometimes...He should PAY the victims for their hurt???...because MONEY is going to heal these victims hurt...

I submit to you that these victims were hurt LONG before this situation came to light, and probably even before this minister came into the victims' lives.

If you can't see it for what it is...look a little closer. As the media strokes the enemy's ego, he's smiling and purring at the fact that so many people are sharing their own venomous ideas and further wounding the BODY. The body is being weakened by issues like this one. This is not the end of the enemy's attack. He's just showing how easy it is to attack when we're weak.

PRAY! Pray for the minds of Christians. Pray for the minds of Americans. Pray for healing in this nation where money fuels people's actions. Pray for the families involved. Pray for the people who bear hatred in their hearts and want others to feel their pain. Pray for the greedy people. Pray for me. Pray for confused souls. Pray for yourselves, and I'll be praying for you.


J

BELIEVE.

The Room

There's a room that people go in to.
A room that no one ever comes out of when the door closes.
It's a room that I think everyone has seen or heard about.
Everyone knows someone who has been inside of that room.
Sometimes the door even closes...and that someone never comes out.

Everyone has this room in their house or apartment.
Even the homeless have this room.

I walked down a dark, thin corridor toward a bright, white light shining underneath a door.
The light was like a magnet; drawing me in...pulling me in. I obeyed.
The walls of the corridor were like screens.
They showed me images of my life.
They showed me images of all the mistakes I've made.
They showed me images of all the bad things I've done to others and to myself.
They showed me a way into the room.

Although the walls on either sides of me were showing me...They were also blinders.
They were blinders against reason, courage and rationality.

The blinders led me to the room.
I got closer to the room and the light grew brighter, and the images alongside the wall began to fade.
The light even began to silence the noises from the perpetual soundtrack in my life...and only one message because clear..."Come into the Room"

I raised my hand toward the door knob...and turned the knob and walked into the room. With my hand on the cold
door knob, I looked into this white room...this cylindrical white room with no ceiling...no windows...just infinite heights.

I kept my hand on the door knob...
I kept...my hand....ON...the door knob, holding the door in place, because I didn't want to close the door of this room.
I felt a strong urge to let go of the knob and close the door...

I could just let go of the knob and close the door...
I should just let go of the knob and close the door...
Who cares....let go of the knob and close the door...


Close the door...
THE DOOR...

I looked at my hand on the door knob...
I looked at the veins in my hands...
I imagined the blood that ran through my veins...to a beating heart...

I held onto the door knob...

I looked at the white walls and....even now at 4:58 am,
I'm thankful for my hand on the door knob.

I studied the structure of the room and all it's peaceful elements...

With my hand on the door knob, I walked out of the room and closed the door...facing the dark corridor walls that projected
my sins so prominently and vividly...I walked out of the corridor with no threats or promises...but I did return and I began painting the walls to create a peaceful vibe like that of the room.

I could not go in and close the door...

I went into the room, but I did not stay...
And I most certainly did NOT close the door from the inside...

One Minute Lasts

"With one second's breath, I call to thee;
Tho colors slip from sight,
And all the world grows pale and dim,
with darkness on its hide.

With fervored strength I touch my heart,
'Tis there, your mem'ry doth stay,
When with my soul the angels come,
And carry me away.

Your smile plays, yet another scene,
From life's now ending score,
And time's most precious moments, held,
I long for just one more.

Beneath the earth, I plant my love,
to grow and bear your seeds,
When resting under its many branches,
Look up, remember me."

Roger That, Please Thanks!

On the horizon, I see the beautiful glow of a rising sun. It's golden. It hasn't warmed the Earth yet, but just by the faint glow, you can see its potential.

Kids,

I've been up and down. I declare, God should've told me that my life would be a roller coaster, because I would've bought season passes for the whole family.
At 25 years old, I've yet to tap into my full potential. It's not that I don't know what to do right now. It's just not time yet.
I've run into several situations that I've handled poorly and that was an indication to me that I was not ready for certain things to start happening in my life, and because of God's grace, I only see a glimpse right now of the things that are to come. This grace serves as a warning, or a preview and prepares me for the next time it comes around. God is faithful, so it WILL come around again.

I've disappointed and been disappointed by almost everyone in my life thus far, except for one person. **Details at a later date

With that disappointment comes the snakehead of ugly truths, awkward situations, avoidance of friends and loved ones, and just plain discourse.

I love the fact that people see "Jirod Greene" as this and that, but it's obvious that I see myself in a different light than they see me, and sometimes it's shocking to them.
I don't understand that though: How someone can see you differently than you see yourself, and they think that their view is "BETTER" or more progressive.

When people can't see you moving, or think that you're not moving fast enough, or even, if people see you moving in a different direction, sometimes they assume that you don't have your best interests at heart. If you have a level head, who knows YOU the way YOU do?

I'm at a crossroads, which someday I hope makes for good songwriting material.

Almost a year ago, I allowed my situation to hold me hostage in a stale position. I was stagnant/non-moving because of fear. I was afraid that opportunities would no longer be available to me if I followed my first mind. (which is usually your right mind) I let someone (A PERSON?) tell me that if I took a chance and followed my heart, everything that was being built, would be lost, and I stayed and listened to that person, even though everything that was built was actually lost, or rather, rearranged to the point of rebuilding again and my opportunity went down the drain. I used to resent that person, but now I know that the only person I can be mad at, is myself. I'm the master of my fate, right?

Advise... Don't ever let anyone tell you what's best for you if you know full well that you have your best interests at heart.

Have you ever had someone tell you things and treat you like you don't know what's going on, and in all honesty, you've been doing what you're doing way longer? Sometimes you have to take a piece of humble pie, and then other times, you have to take that pie and shove it back in their faces... (NON VIOLENCE)

But seriously...

Sometimes it's okay to know that you're the prophyte in certain situations, but it's also important to know that you can learn from anyone.

If I told you the truth about my mentality, you'd think I was being arrogant... For anyone who already thinks I'm arrogant... The truth is this...

I believe that there are few people in the world who are just like me. I like to call them "Dreamers". We are not the exception to rules, I feel like we are additions to them.

I believe that dreamers live chaotic lives, bumping into other dreamers, but chaos does not mean our lives are unorganized.
Also, there are a league of individuals who call themselves dreamers, but they're more like the little fish (I forgot the names) that stick to the undersides of sharks... They help, and they're a part of a bigger picture, but they live off of small victories. Be careful of these fish.

SHARKS and POLAR BEARS...

Just because the Shark does not attack when you think it should...you think you're dangling a tasty piece of tuna carcass and the shark should bite...but just because the shark doesn't bite whenever you think it should... That doesn't make the shark any less dangerous. Nor does it mean that the shark doesn't know what it's doing.

Polar Bears....

I think I'm a lot like a polar bear too... It's said that in their natural habitat...If you see a polar bear off in the distance... It's been hunting you for some time...and it's only a matter of time before it...well...

You know, honestly, there are a few people who I wish would stumble upon my blog and read my entries because clearly a lot of my posts are the direct result of a conversation I've had with them, or something they've said or done to me.

Then...there are my lovelies who think I'm full of hot air, fancy words, good intentions, and POOP!
To them I say... EAT all those things.

It is not my job to prove to you that I'm moving or that I'm coming. Just fall in line, and have faith or you're just another fish, (see the shark/fish reference), I see you...and polar bears like fish.

The sun will come up...and it will burn the eyes of everyone who looks directly into it.


With Love,
Jirod

The Fall: Abstract

Light...Mother...Air...Blurred vision...Birth.

This is where I begin. This is where it all counts from here. I did not have to fight during those first 10 months of my existence. I was protected. I was incased. I learned rapidly though. Warmth.

Age. Adolescence. Feeling. Truth. Lies.

As colors relate to feelings in my head, I began to understand my emotions.

Love....a solitary feeling.

It stands alone. Miles in front of anything I've ever experienced.

Home. Comfort and Chaos. A beautiful place. A place of peace. I ran from it...quickly.

LOVE...Again. But this time, with another.
Two souls love and understand each other. My soul loved, but my intellect stretched its arms and reached for other things... Where love was a miracle, my intellect searched for opportunity...chance.

I was carefully crafted by two hands that placed these gifts inside of me. Why in hell would I trade my opportunities for a mediocre life, a boring wife & a white picket fence?

"I dream in violet and cerulean...I speak orca...I've mastered the art of mental kung fu. I take bitter memories and sing them like chocolate decadence. I preach to souls, though I'm not ordained, and before I die, you'll know my name."

Just before THE FALL, I saw purple balloons, a little girl with tangerine ribbons in her hair, a vendor selling snowcones, my mother's deep mahogany eyes, my father's leathered face and warm smile...two periwinkle marbles, a silver baseball bat...my memories right before death.

as I lay in a pool of my own blood and stare at my masterpiece painted on the ceiling, I marvel at my own work. I may not live to hear people's praises, but I am the first to behold the wonders of God's love manifest through my hands in intricate detail and design. The Fall.