zachharrod.com

sometimes i wonder…

by

…”what if? What if I were do this? What if I chose to do that? What if? What if? What if?” Welcome to my mind.

Saturday night after a gmail chat date with the lovely Rachel Baer (Yes she now has a blog! Click on her name and meet this amazing women via the blog world. We will see if she gets hooked now!;-)) I got bouncing around on the web. Which meant I went to bed way latter than desired, and I couldn’t sleep past 8 this morning! What’s the deal? Is this because I’m getting older? Anyway…..

I clicked on the link from a friend’s gmail status (Andy Wojtowski) and watched this…


As I watched this several times, I had a “What If” moment! Now don’t get me wrong I LOVE WHAT I DO! LOVE IT! But there are moments where I have inclinations to pursue things like shooting films, dropping rhymes, snapping pics, designing, writing and a ton of other creative things for a living. I do love that my job allows me to do some of these things, well not dropping rhymes or being part of that, but a boy can dream right?

So I thought I would share that thought and video with you, because I loved it…

I do have question for you – WHAT GIG (job) DO YOU WONDER ABOUT DOING IF YOU DIDN’T DO WHAT YOU DO?

DISCLAIMER: Just because I post a video, link, or etc. does not mean I endorse everything the person thinks, sings about or etc. I just thought I would add that. I would hope that those of us that read my blog, that say we are “Christ followers” would look for “God sightings” all around us – in nature, in people and in pop-culture and, thus, look for ways to point that out and work for redemption! I saw a spark of God’s creative impulse as I watched Nyle‘s vid. Thanks for stopping by!

hip hop culture, church & the czech rep.?

by

This week, in the midst of things, two items, which are very different but oddly similar, peaked my interest. The first was this,


I watched a few back episodes of TheResurgence.com’s vodcast (I guess, I was trying to catch up to a degree) and I watched an interview with Eric Mason, pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia. It was a great interview that challenged me to think about context of the place where I live, Prague, and how I do ministry, but more over way I do ministry. Eric talked about hip hop culture, doing church in the city and much more. I’m totally simplifying it, need less to say you should watch it!

What was interesting was that same morning I read an article about hip hop here in the Czech Republic, Hip Hop Hunger Rises in the East. I’ve posted about hip hop on my blog before, because I’ll be honest day in day out, I see American hip hop’s affects on the youth culture of the Czech Republic. This article really peaked my interest. Combine with Mason’s interview, it’s making me ask questions like:

  1. How does this change the way I do things, especially amongst my young guys?
  2. How do I engage this redemptively in the capacity that I’m in now?
  3. How can the Church engage youth in this area?
  4. And more….

So here are some portions of the article that peaked my interest. I would love to share my thoughts, but I will save that, mostly because I might fall asleep at my computer. Needless to say, this all is making me go “hmmmm” and makes me want to lay some beats down. Ok, not really, but maybe encourage others to lay some amazing beats!

When comparing Czech rap to European hip hop from other countries, Abraham said French or Polish rappers were more socially conscious and “a lot braver.” When Czechs rap, it is “more an occasion to express something funny, or something poetic than some sort of ideas or their own ideology,” he said. Marysko agreed that more politically aware rhymes are missing from the Czech scene, something he’d like to see more of. With an increase of wealth in the Czech Republic – from deep recession in the late 1990s to rapid economic growth now – the subject matter of rap is changing, he said.

As the Czech hip hop community grows beyond an initial tight knit group of devotees, it has also fragmented. “If you read what people say on the Internet, I have so many haters,” said Marysko. His eyes narrowed as he recounted malicious threats to him and his family for putting radio-ready rappers like Mike Jones on BBaRak’s cover and including gossip of feuds, called “beef” in its reports. “Czechs are always jealous. I am not Jesus but I am putting out my magazine and living what we dreamed together. What’s the problem?”

As much as hip hop has arrived in this unlikely hub, it may not attract fans and participants forever. “I don’t think hip hop is going to die,” said Marysko. “I’ve had goose bumps hearing kids cheer at shows. But I just know it’s not going to be the hottest thing forever.”

hip hop and christianity…

by


I found this very, very interesting. I find it interesting, because the hip hop culture is so far reaching. I’ve seen how far reaching it is, as I’ve watched and observed it within the Czech youth culture. It has made me think a lot about ministry here among the youth. Warning, he might make you squirm at one point, but this is good stuff. What is interesting is that it’s much more far reaching than “a nation” (America), but the globe! So what is this language of hip hop doing here? I’m not sure, but I’m paying attention to it. After all, it’s a language that exists within and above normal ‘languages’. Okay, I’ve got to get back to some commentaries and notes…

Contact Us