Before I start, this entry talks about two things: One, this talks about my journey in writing a song and how it was created not by pure talent but by inspiration through a book which leads me to talk about number 2 which is a review to the book. This sounds crazy but I will write this step by step. So here it goes.I was asked to write a song a few months ago that talks about the Youth of today. I am young so I'm included. The song, as they said, should really reflects the breaking of apathy towards the youth and how a certain individual could empower their fellow youth to stand up and make a change. It was a challenging thing for me but reality seeps in leading us to a crazy brainstorming process knowing that I only have one night to write out the song in a piece of paper. My friend (the fellow writer of the song) and I were seated making funny tunes , discussing the verses, how the song sounds like but it ends out of nowhere until I remembered a tagline that says A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. The short pitched looms in my mind for a couple of minutes and then I decided to scan the book and have some idea.
Now we are close to the review. Hang on. In that instant I picked up one of my favorite book called "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" written by two young twins named Alex and Brett Harris, younger brothers of Bestselling author Joshua Harris. Then, I realized that the elements and ingredients i was looking to model the song is found in the book. The message is in there.
The book, I would say is not just limited to the youth that are inspiring to impact a group of society but it is also applicable to an indiviual who is called to make a change and difference to someones life. The book has its own "fresher" perspective that would surely gave us an insightful conviction to the mighty ideas that we possesed and how can we use it for the glory of God and for the wellfare of others. I learned so much in this book and as I read it again and agan I was beggining to break the chains, the low expectations that was trying to disable our potential.
Now, let's go back to the songwriting (I hope you are not raising your eyebrows as you read this). After I read some chapters in the book, the process of constructing the song including the verses, chorus and bridge, came so swiftly. The driving force of making a song was according to the voice of inspiration---a learning I took from the book. The messages was straight from the heart and what really makes me happy was that, I was able to "lived" up the message in the book in my own little way---making a song so that others would hear a new sound of change, new sound of hope, new sound for the youth.
Here is an excerpt from the song:
A world of comfort instead of challenges
We run, we hide and left things unlearned
We are to face this world
With such greatness and dream
But where we are today
Have we tried to see what's within us
It's time to release the change
We join our hearts to make this voices roar
We are the generation
We rise to take our place
We take a stand and lift a shout
To somebody's heart
Give it up, Give it up
Break the chains
Tear the walls
This is love
This means love
We should love
We spread love
Rock it out and sing out loud
I am new
Now, I would say that in creating something, it is really good to find a source of inspiration that will motivate us to dig deeper. Like what i have done, I wrote a song out of the insights I extracted from a book. Writng the songs was hard for me but i know in that instant i was able to do hard things not for anyone else but for God.
Do Hard Things is really a good book. It's practical and livable. Our lives is on a change of two forces, the good and the bad. Would we let ourselves, our future and the generations beyond be in the darker atmosphere? I know our answers would be yes so let us fill our minds with the insights such as this book.
Lastly, I know this blog entry is a little bit "mixed" (but i would say it's not confusing), I will say that I am not advertising but I am encouraging that whoever stumble in this blog would be lured to have the book. It's amazing, fun and challenging.
It's time to end this now, I still have so many things to say but I dont want to make this thing longer. That's it, "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations", a must have book for y'all.
Advance Happy Holidays (Ooh, the book would be a perfect present so if you can't find a copy of this book in your nearest bookstore buy it online by clicking the link below c: )
XX
J O S H
