Prison Is Private Property

The have-not’s have had enough and now they’re out to kill the king of what looks to be an empire where short-term earnings mean everything. There’s a pressure to deliver here. You’re going to get hurt if you don’t play this game. Nobody will ever know, just the CEO to the CFO; If you can work some magic we’ll double our paychecks, so make the numbers look right. Wall Street is a ruthless mistress with a quick and painful judgment. Temptation is in deep now, threads of greed run through this fabric, weaving tapestries over your eyes to prepare the landscapes for disaster; anthrax or a plane crash, biochemical, or even nuclear attacks. Integrity is too damn expensive, discount the price but still, nobody’s buying so come up with the money boys or you’ll be choking on a barrel. It just might be your own finger squeezing on the trigger. Call in the reinforcements.

You’re working hard on a life of your own, with three square meals and a place to call home. The American Dream can be found here if you keep your mouth closed. But the teeth you keep clinched is what’s killing the chance. Your mouth is watering as you imagine swallowing each new possession. It’s building a prison.

You’ll think there’s a place where you made it, you’ve searched for this your whole life. New answers will satisfy but then you realize it’s never enough. That’s the slickest marketing I’ve ever seen; a spiraling trap. With enough ambition and a firm set of rules you can have anything you want, you can walk right out into the world and capture and kill God in a little box or a little book to be understood. But no one can argue with the good sense and strength of a solid foundation or with the weakness born when corruption is the rule and not the exception. I’m trying hard to forget everything I thought I knew. You’ve climbed much too high to let the truth stop you now or to concern yourself with the investments of lesser, honest men. The ladder has been brutal, but the payoff is just around the corner. Call in the reinforcements.

You’re working hard on a life of your own, with three square meals and a place to call home, but you keep getting lost each time you walk out your front door. Me? I’ve got a family. I know real well what it means to make sure there’s enough food on the table each day, but I’d rather starve than be a whore for an empty living.

-RV

Best and Worst of 2009

I always enjoy throwing these together at the end of the year. Personally, this year was a year unlike any other, but I’ll post about that later. For now, you get these lists that i’ve put together. Keep in mind that when it comes to the top ten and such, order is not a big deal, especially with all of the amazing music that came out this year. It’d be too hard to assign each a number.

Best Albums:
Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
Relient K – Forget and Not Slow Down
Paramore – Brand New Eyes
Muse – The Resistance
Sleeping Giant – Sons of Thunder
Thrice – Beggars
The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
Say Anything – Say Anything
Thursday – Common Existence
Dashboard Confessional – Alter The Ending

Biggest Disappointments:
Brand New – Daisy
Taking Back Sunday – New Surrender
Sherwood – QU
Saosin – In Search of Solid Ground
Set Your Goals – This Will Be The Death Of Us

Most Anticipated of 2010:
Jimmy Eat World
Rocky Votolato
Damien Rice?
Blink-182
Saves The Day
The Ataris

Guilty Pleasures:
Owl City
Taylor Swift

Best Band That Nobody Has Heard of… Yet:
The Honey Trees
Holding Onto Hope
Callista
Long Since Forgotten (and nobody will hear them since they broke up in March)

Movies:
Inglourious Basterds
Zombieland
500 Days of Summer
Star Trek
UP

Come & Live! Kickstarter

Everybody has heard me go on and on about Come & Live! and you’ll continue to hear about Come & Live! and today I’m going to tell you that it’s time to step up.

C&L! stands in a category of it’s own. In an industry run by profits and exploits, C&L! is a non-profit, driven by the love that Jesus Christ has to offer and the music that shows that love. It’s more than the music. It’s more than the money. It’s more than a cool name and a fancy logo. It’s a lifestyle calling us to “live simply to give generously.”

Please support this in any way possible. Every penny counts and every prayer lifts us up. The mark has been reached, but everything above and beyond is a blessing.

http://www.comeandlive.com

In all this chaos, we’ve found safety.

I really need the ones that I’m close with to trust me. I haven’t been feeling that much lately.

With the decisions that I’m making in life, it doesn’t make it any easier to be considered a fool, a traitor, or a deserter. The generally uninformed are basing their decisions upon the little that they know. The informed think I’m silly. Where do you look to find common ground when both sides have already compromised and one party is still unhappy?

I pray for peace. I pray for understanding. I pray that everybody will know why I’m doing this. I’m an adult and I make my own decisions. Please, just trust that these decisions aren’t made on a whim; they are informed, researched, and well thought out.

Thank you,
Jacob Aaron Bundren

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

This is taken from an interview with Stephen Christian of Anberlin.

Is religion a big factor when writing as a band? And has it ever had a negative effect on anything you were doing as a band?

Stephen: I think the only ‘big factor’ religion could have on any aspect of any album would be on the lyrics. I don’t think Deon sat down to write a God-fearing bass line, or Nathan coming up with the perfect praise and worship beat. For me though, I have never sat down and tried to write a ‘religious’ lyric in my life. I just write. One’s faith should be like DNA. No matter what they are involved in, no matter what career choice, no matter who they encounter it simply should be ingrained and a part of them. My faith is simply a part of me. I can no easier remove my belief in Jesus than remove my cells or heart.

B4W

Why does it have to be every man for himself?

What happened to loving your neighbor?

What happened to taking care of the ones in need?

Our society seems to have forgotten these fundamental ideas. This is an essential step backward. This is the start of something that gives back.

More information to come.

For Me This Is Heaven

The first star I see may not be a star
We can’t do a thing but wait
So let’s wait for one more

And the time’s such clumsy time
Deciding if it’s time
I’m careful but not sure how it goes
You can lose yourself in your courage
When the time we had now ends
And when the big hand goes round again

Can you still feel the butterflies?
Can you still hear the last goodnight?

And the mindless comfort grows
When I’m alone with my big plans
And this is what she said gets her through it:
“If I don’t let myself be happy now then when?”
If not now when?
The time we had now ends
And when the big hand goes round again

Can you still feel the butterflies?
Can you still hear the last goodnight?

I close my eyes and believe
That wherever you are, angel
For when the time we had now ends
And when the big hand goes round again

Can you still feel the butterflies?
Can you still hear the last goodnight?

Jimmy Eat World wrote this song and released it on their album titled Clarity, which was released over 10 years ago. This song has taken on such meaning in my life, it always has. That’s why I call it’s been my favorite song for as long as I can remember.

I was discussing it with a good friend earlier and I saw how beautiful it was in a new way. It’s a sad song. It’s a song about worry. It’s a song about pain. That’s something we all feel on a daily basis.

I just thought i’d share these lyrics with you.

-Jacob Aaron Bundren

Sons of Promise

Mount Moriah.

Anybody heard of it?

I didn’t think so. Not many people have. It’s actually more of a mountain range than it is an actual mountain. It’s name may elude you now, but to the Hebrew culture, Mount Moriah was something you were definitely familiar with. Mount Moriah was traditionally known as the Temple Mount. Though the actual location of the Temple of Solomon has been debated for years, the name probably sounds more familiar. Among many important events that took place here, there is one that I’m emphasizing on.

The sacrifice of Isaac, the only son of Abraham and Sarai. Abraham’s wife, Sarai or Sarah, was infertile (Gen. 11:30) and behold, after an angel appears to her, she has a child. God called Abraham to take Isaac upon the mountain and make him a sacrifice. What do you think was going through Abraham’s head? Isaac was Abraham’s son of promise. What a stretch of faith that would be! Abraham loved Isaac more than anything, but he is also a faithful man, so they set out off to the Mount of the Lord to make a sacrifice.

Abraham is one of my favorite characters in the Bible, mainly because of his devotion. He’s going to sacrifice his entire world right now. He raises the knife and is commanded to stop. It was a test. God wouldn’t allow him to slaughter his own son, but He wanted to see if Abraham would listen. I see it as God asking Abraham “How far are you actually willing to take this?” and Abraham’s son was spared. To me, I see it as a thank you from God. He’s saying “Thank you for being faithful, now you are free. You’ve done what I asked. You pass.”

When I was studying this, it jumped out at me. These last few months have been incredibly difficult and at many times, in a sense, i’ve felt like Job. The things that are important to me have been taken away, but God still provides.

Many of you know that I was called to move to Huntsville, Alabama. Why God called me to Huntsville, Alabama was a mystery to me, but I believe it’s becoming clear. When God tells you to go, there’s no fighting that. When God tells you to pack up everything you have, drive across the country and call that new land “home”, you can’t fight that. So I did, and here I am. The mystery of why I’m here has only become clear in the last week or so. I’ve been praying and praying and praying asking God why I’m here and I opened up my Bible to this story of Abraham and Isaac. I learned about this story of a test and God said to me, “You pass. You’ve done what I asked you to do. Every bone in your body was fighting it, every ounce of you wanted to stay in California. Despite what you felt, you did as I commanded and you were faithful. You pass.”

What a relief that was! Here I was wondering what I’m supposed to do with my life here. When talking to my friends from back home, I’d refer to my new home as “this God forsaken place” but now I know that I was sent here as a test. God hasn’t forsaken this place, but only prepared a temporary place for me to endure this season of trial. This is my Mount Moriah, my place of sacrifice, and plenty has been sacrificed to be here.

“You pass.”

I’m not sure what the next days hold. Will I remain here? Will I return to California? Will I go some place crazy? Who knows? There is comfort knowing that I wasn’t brought out here for nothing, and there will be comfort with whatever these next few months hold, because as long as we remain faithful, we will be sons and daughters of promise. We will not be forgotten.

-Jacob Aaron Bundren
Currently Listening to Jimmy Eat World – Cautioners

We Are Tomorrow

This should have been the first post on this blog, but it on an impulse and I wasn’t thinking.

This blog was originally up at http://www.jacobaaronbundren.com but that is now my photography website. I didn’t have a blog for a while and I began to miss it. Where else was I supposed to ramble on about all of the nonsense that runs through my head on a daily basis?

So, here you are at wearetomorrow.wordpress.com. The name comes from a song by a band called Bleach. It’s called “We Are Tomorrow” and it’s about not waiting to rise up. That’s essentially what this blog stands for, not being stagnant. These may just be my thoughts, but I believe in rising up, going against the grain, and standing up for change.

That will be all for now.

-Jacob Aaron Bundren
Currently Listening to Rookie of the Year – Summer

Alien Moms, SUV’s, and Sweet Nike’s

Back when I was a kid, when I was like 7, my family didn’t have much money. I lived in a neighborhood where most kids came from the same situation I was in. Fathers weren’t around, mothers worked full-time, and the kids had to fend for themselves after school until mom got home. There just wasn’t enough of the American Dream to go around my poor neighborhood in Oceano, California.

Being surrounded by families with similar backgrounds to mine wasn’t the problem, I felt comfortable around them. The problem surfaced when I went to school with kids who weren’t like me. They had dads. Their moms brought them to school and went back home to do whatever it is moms that stay at home do. They cooked and cleaned and had tea parties or something. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother and I respect her more than anybody in the world, but these mothers, they were different. Truth be told, I didn’t like them. Sometimes, I would convince myself that they were aliens from another planet that were controlling their families with their mind-control devices, or whatever it is that alien-moms use. In a sense, they were aliens to me.

Back to the story. When it came down to it, I felt that, despite my awkward and ignorant hatred of these mothers, the children of these families were better than me. They were better than me because they had dads. They were better than me because they had moms that stayed home to do outlandish things. They were better than me because they had cool clothes. They were better than me because their parents drove SUV’s. They were better than me for so many reasons.

Think about that. What kind of damage does that do to a kid growing up? What harm did it do convincing myself that all of these kids were superior to me? While all of these other seven year-olds were on the playground having a blast, I was afraid to walk across the blacktop because they would fun of me for having off brand Nike’s. That kind of thinking creates a pathetic lifestyle for a second grader.

That lifestyle involves one thing. One motivation. One desire. One dream. You must fit in. I’m the skinniest white kid on the face of the earth, how on earth was I supposed to fit in with the athletic kids so I could be cool? I was a nerd. I’m still a nerd! It just wasn’t possible!

Did I ever fit in? Heck no! My nerd posse and I just hid inside the classrooms at lunch. It was quiet, we could read or play our computer games, but most of all, we didn’t get beat up in there. It was much more pleasant.

Looking back on those experiences, I’m horrified. How many kids felt the way that I did? Probably a lot more than I realized at the time. There were so many kids looking to fit in and to be accepted that they’d do anything to feel like they were.

Now, I’m almost 21 years old. I’m nowhere near wise, experienced in life, or worthy of giving advice, but I know one thing.

Wealth.

Fame.

Beauty.

Social Acceptance.

Sex.

Drugs.

All of those things have nothing to do with your definition as a human being. They don’t make you who you are. Being wealthy doesn’t mean a single thing. Sure, you’re the Senior Vice President of a Fortune 500 company, you have a wife that stays home during the day to have tea parties, you drive a Mercedes to work, and your kid has really sweet Nike’s, but what does that mean for you? What kind of lasting substance do you have in your life?

What others think of you does not define you. The calling that is placed upon our life and how you act upon it defines you. The relationship you have with your maker defines you. Not the maker that you pray to when times get rough, or the maker that you visit on Christmas and Easter, but the maker that breathed life into you and created you from dust. The maker that called your name and told you that you didn’t have to have sweet Nike’s and be really good at basketball to be loved and to make a difference in the world.

That maker.

That maker that gave your life a purpose, a reason for breathing.

A definition.

Don’t get me wrong, now. I’ve got nothing against Nike (except for high prices and exploitation of the less fortunate in third-world countries, of course) but if a brand, job, or a smokin’ hot wife define you, something that has to give.